August 15, 2026 || Addis Ababa: MERQ Consultancy reinforces research team as it prepares to conduct the second phase of the study assessing the effects of performance-based financing (PBF) in Ethiopia’s health system.
As a continuation of its research project commissioned by Cordaid Ethiopia, MERQ provided a two-day refresher training for 14 quantitative and qualitative data collectors involved in the project titled “Short-term Effects of Performance-Based Financing (PBF) on Health Workers’ Motivation, Satisfaction, and Retention in Ethiopia”
The study aims to evaluate the short- and long-term effects of PBF on health workers’ motivation, satisfaction, and retention in Ethiopia, which remain critical challenges in the country’s health system.
According Kaleb Melaku, Data Specialist at Cordaid Ethiopia and Focal Person for the PBF Study, the project has been piloted and implemented since 2015 in Borena zone of Oromia region, where health services were initially characterized by rare use and low quality. Later on, the project has been expanded to Jimma and East Borena zones of Oromia regional state.
Participants of the training
To assess the short- and long-term effects of Performance-Based Financing (PBF) on health workers’ motivation, satisfaction, and retention in Ethiopia, MERQ Consultancy was selected by Cordaid Ethiopia in August 2025 to implement the study in two phases, from August 2025 to October 2026.
Phase I of the study, conducted from August to November 2025, focused on assessing the long-term effects of PBF in Borena, and a baseline assessment for the short-term effect in East Borena, and the comparison zone, South Omo. Phase II, currently being implemented, focuses on assessing the short-term effects of PBF through follow-up data collection in East Borena and the comparison zone.
Partial views of participants discussing on the data collection tools
Representing MERQ, Tsega Hagos, Technical Lead of the study, on her part said, her team has gained great lessons and insights from ‘Phase I’ that can benefit the ‘Phase II’ assessment. “We had best practices from the first phase, which we want to keep them to optimize our data collection procedures, and, we also want to learn from the challenges we had faced.” With this in mind ‘Lessons learned from Phase I’ was one part of the training contents, that drew insightful reflections from the participants.
Tsega Hagos, Technical Lead of the study, from MERQ
Besides, the refresher training covered topics related to study rationale, phase II objectives, methodology, review of qualitative and quantitative data collection tools, ethical and admin procedures, among others. All the trainee data collectors were involved in the first phase, using the same data collection tools. “Hence, it’s a refresher training taking only two days,” Tsega said.
Following the completion of study activities in Borena zone, the Phase II assessment will focus on the short-term effect of the PBF on performance of health facilities at East Borena zone of Oromia and South Omo zone of Southern Ethiopia, with the later for comparison purpose. Data collection is expected to take approximately 15 days.
Testifying about MERQ’s research services as a client, Kaleb said, “We were happy with the quality and timeliness of the deliverables in phase I and we believe similar quality outputs will be delivered in the upcoming Phase II as well.”
Through the two-phased study, MERQ has been contributing its research, data collection and methodological expertise to the generation of evidence which informs the understanding of PBF and its implications for Ethiopia’s health system.
