MSH has a proven track record with building sustainable health systems to increase our partners’ ability to effectively and efficiently implement programs today, as well as plan for long-term sustainability tomorrow. We support our partners’ efforts to build knowledge and skills so they can continue to improve and expand their programs and projects long after a project is completed.
Health Service Management
Challenge: Access to quality health care services is limited, particularly in postconflict countries, where nearly half of the deaths every year affect children under the age of five. Individuals, families, and communities are unable to protect their health because health systems, services, and governance are weak.
MSH Response: MSH helps expand access to high-quality, efficient health care services by improving health systems and management of services. For more than a decade, MSH has managed and supported performance-based financing of health programs to focus on investing in results.
Human Resources for Health
Challenge: Shortages of trained health staff represent a crisis of epidemic proportions in the developing world. Every year, 66% of graduating doctors emigrate from developing countries. Hospitals report vacancy rates among nursing positions of more than 60%.
MSH Response: MSH helps governments develop multisectoral strategies and policies to plan and manage their health workforces. We use a comprehensive approach that addresses all the facets of human capacity development and human resource management to achieve an adequate supply of well-trained health staff, high levels of performance, and cost savings because of increased retention and motivation.
Leadership, Governance, & Management
Challenge: Inspired leadership, good governance, and skilled management are critical to improving the performance of health organizations. However, most managers of health services lack the skills to professionally manage their organizations. Increased funding to developing countries has made it vital that managers be able to administer funds efficiently, effectively, and transparently.
MSH Response: MSH and our partners work at all levels to address policy issues, improve governance and management, and strengthen management systems for health services. We build leadership and technical skills among health workers and managers in both civil society and public-sector organizations, increasing staff retention, improving organizational performance, and building sustainability in service delivery.
Pharmaceutical Management
Challenge: New funding sources in the international aid community are making unprecedented sums of money available to procure medicines for deadly diseases in developing countries, but inadequate pharmaceutical management and supply systems, lack of quality pharmaceutical services, and the worsening human resource crisis threaten the success of these efforts.
MSH Response: MSH works to strengthen the pharmaceutical management and service components of health systems and build human resource capacity. Public-private partnerships are established to expand access to medicines. These efforts are coupled with strategies to integrate proven new therapies and diagnostics more effectively into health programs, with technical support and personnel training. Financing and economic issues that create barriers to access to medicines are also addressed.