Border AreaHealth Project
Border AreaBAHP upholds ADB's Safeguard Policy Statement through three core frameworks β Gender Action Plan, Environmental Management Plan, and Environmental Screening β all publicly disclosed and independently monitored.
ADB's three safeguard policy areas β environmental, involuntary resettlement, and indigenous peoples β are all addressed through BAHP's safeguard documents, all of which are publicly disclosed.
Ensures women's equal access to improved health services, equitable representation in training, and gender-responsive design of all project activities.
View GAP detailsA living document guiding environmental compliance throughout construction and operation β with mitigation measures, monitoring indicators, and responsibilities assigned to each level.
View EMP detailsAll 62 sub-projects have been categorised and screened. Screening reports are the entry point for ADB's safeguard review and determine the level of environmental due diligence required.
View ENVS detailsBAHP's Gender Action Plan sets mandatory actions, targets, and responsible parties to ensure the project advances gender equality β not just gender neutrality.
All facility designs reviewed by the GAP focal point to ensure gender-responsive features are incorporated: separate male/female wards, private consultation rooms for women, private breastfeeding areas, and female-only toilets with sanitary waste disposal.
BAHP's scholarship and placement programme recruits and supports women from ethnic minority communities to train as nurses, midwives, and community health workers β directly addressing the gender and ethnic staffing gap in border province health facilities.
All health facilities must collect and report health service utilisation data disaggregated by sex, age, and ethnicity. eHMIS dashboards include gender equity indicators visible to PHD directors and PMU. Responsibility: M&E Unit / eHMIS team. Timeline: ongoing from January 2024.
A minimum of 50% of training participants in all BAHP-funded training activities must be women. Training coordinators must report gender breakdown in all training reports. Non-compliance requires a corrective action plan within 30 days. Current status: 58% female β target exceeded.
All BAHP-upgraded health facilities implement a Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) prevention and response protocol, including a designated SGBV focal point, a referral pathway to social welfare services, and training for all health workers on survivor-centred approaches.
All stakeholder consultations for BAHP sub-projects must achieve minimum 30% women's participation, with a target of 50%. Separate sessions held with women's groups in communities adjacent to construction sites. Facilitators trained in gender-sensitive facilitation.
BAHP tracks and reports annually on: institutional delivery rate, antenatal care coverage (4+ visits), postnatal care rate, and contraceptive prevalence. Target increases of 15 percentage points in each indicator across 7 provinces by project completion. Baseline (2022) and mid-term (2025) surveys completed.
A core EMP requirement is the safe management of healthcare waste across all 62 BAHP facilities. Each facility must have a functioning medical waste management system compliant with WHO and Lao national guidelines before the facility is accepted and occupied.
All construction contractors must implement dust suppression measures (water spraying, site hoardings) and restrict noisy operations to 7amβ6pm MondayβSaturday. Monthly monitoring by DHT Civil Works Supervisor. Any community complaint must be resolved within 5 working days under the GRM.
Contractors must install temporary sedimentation ponds on sites adjacent to watercourses. No construction wastewater or excavated material may be discharged to drainage channels or rivers. Post-construction soil stabilisation and landscaping is a contract requirement at all sites.
All facilities must have access to safe drinking water (piped or treated) and functional hand hygiene facilities. Water quality testing every 6 months at all district hospitals. Results reported to PHD and PMU. Any result exceeding WHO drinking water limits triggers immediate remedial action.
All new buildings are designed to a green building standard with solar water heating, LED lighting, and cross-ventilation to reduce reliance on air conditioning. Solar PV panels installed on 18 facilities in areas with unreliable grid supply. Energy consumption baselines established for all facilities.
Environmental screening is the first step in ADB's environmental safeguard process, determining the environmental category (A, B, or C) and thus the level of due diligence required.
Full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) required. Independent EIA expert and two rounds of public consultation. 2 sub-projects classified Category A.
Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) required. One round of public consultation. Majority of BAHP sub-projects are Category B.
No environmental assessment required. Applies to minor renovation works, equipment supply, and capacity building activities.