Health Services Administration

Logo of ASS

The Health Services Administration (Alexandrian: Agence des Services de Santé, ASS) is an agency of the Department of Social Security and National Solidarity of Nouvelle Alexandrie. It is the primary federal agency tasked with providing access to health care services for low-income and medically vulnerable people.

It does through the administration of three federal health programs, as well as five federal bureaus. It provides both leadership, financial support, and technical assistance to health care providers throughout Nouvelle Alexandrie. It has a particular interest in HIV/AIDS, midwifing, and rural healthcare services. It has its own training program for healthcare professionals. Another important aspect of ASS is the federal oversight of organ, bone marrow, and stem cell donation. It collaborates with the National Health Institute on biomedical research and development. It is also in charge of managing Medical Disciplinary Boards to prevent medical malpractice, fraud, and abuse.

ASS' annual budget of over €160 billion represents about 15% of the annual budget of the Department of Social Security and National Solidarity, making it the fifth most expensive government agency in Nouvelle Alexandrie.

History

The ASS was founded in 1690 AN by the Department of Social Security and National Solidarity to consolidate several functions previously held by predecessors such as the Federal Health Resources Bureau, Federal Rural Health Agency, and Maternal and Child Health Services Bureau. In 1704 AN, the former Federal Vaccine Office was added to ASS.

Since its founding, ASS has collaborated with other agencies such as the Federal Social Security Authority and Federal Hospital System to provide access to health care for low-income, uninsured, isolated, and medically vulnerable individuals.

Organization

Primary Healthcare

The Bureau of Primary Healthcare (Alexandrian: Bureau des Soins de Santé Primaires, BSSP) funds over 900 health center grantees that operate nearly 13,000 clinics and mobile medical facilities. Altogether, these centers deliver primary and preventive care to over 35 million low-income as of 1738 AN. Of particular importance are the five programs that the BSSP administrates:

• National Health Center Program: provides funding for community health centers at the excess of over €12.4 billion as of 1738 AN, with more than 8,700 community-based service delivery sites.
• Mobile Clinics Program: provides funding for mobile medical facilities at an excess of €5.6 billion as of 1738 AN, with over 4,200 mobile medical facilities.
• National Preventable Disease Program: provides funding for the free care and treatment of preventable diseases, including measles, polio, tetanus, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, and hepatitis; with a funding of €2.3 billion as of 1738 AN.
• National Poison Control Program: provides funding for poison control centers at an excess of €4.1 billion as of 1738 AN, with a total of 950 pediatric poison control centers.
• National Access to Care Program: provides funding to improve access to healthcare for vulnerable and underserved populations, through innovative and effective service delivery models and healthcare innovation; with over €600 million in funding as of 1738 AN.

Maternal and Children Health

The Maternal and Children Bureau (Alexandrian: Bureau de Sante Maternelle et Infantile, BSMI) administers a broad range of programs for pregnant women, mothers, infants, children, adolescents and their families, and children with special healthcare needs. It does this to prevent both infant mortality and childhood ilnesses associated with poor pre and neo-natal care. The BSMI operates six federal programs:

• National Maternal and Child Health Program: provides funding for health center grantees to provide maternity and children healthcare services, at the excess of €19.4 billion as of 1738 AN, with 6,400 dedicated maternity wards and clinics.
• National Newborn Screening and Vaccination Program: provides funding for grantees to carry out free newborn screening tests and immunization campaigns, with special attention for sickle cell disease and haemophilia; with a funding of €7,1 billion as of 1738 AN.
• Healty Start Program: provides funding to reduce infant mortality for vulnerable and underserved populations, through community outreach, case management, depression screening, and educational activities for pregnant women and parents; with more than €2.2 billion in funding as of 1738 AN.
• Adolescent and Young Adult Health Program: provides funding to reduce childhood illnesses and mental disease, through community outreach, developmental assistance, and educational activities for children and parents; with a funding of €900 million as of 1738 AN.
• Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program: provides funding to improve health and developmental outcomes for at-risk children through evidence-based home visiting programs; with over €1.3 billion in funding as of 1738 AN.
• Children Emergency Services Program: provides funding for health center grantees to provide and improve emergency medical services for treating children; with a funding of €300 million as of 1738 AN.
• Neurodiversity Support Program: provides funding to improve healthcare and other services for children with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities by increasing awareness and reducing barriers to screening and diagnosis; with a funding of €2.8 billion as of 1738 AN.

Rural Health

The Office of Rural Health Services (Alexandrian: Office des Services de Santé Ruraux, BSSR) works to make healthcare more accessible for the residents of rural Nouvelle Alexandrie, which include more than 35% of the full population. It funds programs that integrate and streamline rural health care institutions and aid in the recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals in rural hospitals and clinics. It also operates the national telehealth program to link isolated rural communities to medical institutions digitally. The OSSR operates three federal programs:

• National Rural Healthcare Program: provides funding for rural health center grantees at the excess of over €18.3 billion as of 1738 AN, with over 3,600 rural health centers.
• National Rural Technical Assistance Program: provides funding for technical assistance and training that aids in recruitment and retention of healthcare professionals for rural health centers; with over €3.5 billion in funding as of 1738 AN.
• Rural Health Information Hub Program: provides funding to help rural communities and rural healthcare providers to access the full range of national healthcare programs, research, and educational materials; with a funding of €200 million as of 1738 AN.

Workforce

The Bureau of Healthcare Workforce (Alexandrian: Bureau du Personnel de Santé, BPS) works to provide education, training, and professional development for the healthcare professionals of the organization. It grants scholarship and student loans for healthcare professionals in training. The BPS operates four federal programs:

• National Health Education Program: provides funding for the more than 200 community-based training sites of BPS to provide educational services to students, faculty, and practicioners in underserved areas to increase the supply of qualified providers, at the excess of over €12.3 billion as of 1738 AN.
• National Nursing Education and Retention Program: provides funding for health center grantees to carry out education and recruitment for nursing program, expand nursing practice, and support the retention of nurses; with over €4.5 billion in funding as of 1738 AN.
• National Practitioner Databank Program: provides funding to help health centers with information and technical assistance about qualifications, clinical privilege, and licensing; with a funding of €100 million as of 1738 AN.
• Health Career Opportunities Program: provides funding for low-income and educationally disadvantaged students to support them into careers as healthcare professionals and allied health professions; with over €900 million in funding as of 1738 AN.

Organ and Tissue Donation

The National Transplantation Bureau (Alexandrian: Bureau Nationale du Transplantation, BNT) oversees the national organ and tissue donation and transplantation systems. It works to support the work of organ donation, blood transfusions, and stem cell therapy through the health center grantees. The BNT operates both the National Registry of Transplant Donors and Recipients, the national database for organ donations and transplantations; and the Organ Procurement and Transplant Program, the federal program for organ transplantations with a budget of over €2.3 billion as of 1738 AN. The BNT also manages over 150 national blood banks and 35 national sperm banks.

Programmes

AIDS Program

The National AIDS Program (Alexandrian: Programme National de SIDA, PNSIDA) provides primary care, support services and antiretroviral drugs for low-income individuals suffering from HIV/AIDS. The program also funds training, technical assistance, and demonstration projects designed to slow the spread of HIV in high-risk populations. In 1738 AN, funding for the program stood at €19.7 billion, with over 1.2 million low-income people supported.

Drug Pricing Scheme

The National Drug Pricing Scheme (Alexandrian: Système National de Tarification des Médicaments, SNTM) is a federal program that provides outpatient drugs to eligible healthcare center grantees at significantly reduced prices. The intent of the program is to provide low-income, vulnerable, and high-risk individuals with affordable medical supplies, thereby lowering costs and preventing expensive inpatient primary care. Over 6,400 health center grantees participated in 1738 AN, with a budget of over €39.8 billion.

Vaccine Injury

The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (Alexandrian: Programme National d'Indemnisation des Victimes de la Vaccination, PNIVV) is a federal program that provides compensations to individuals and families who have been proven injured by certain vaccines. This compensation is provided through the national excise on vaccination. In 1738 AN, over €250 million of funding was allocated, with an average of 500 to 800 annual petitioners being compensated.