Health Systems Strengthening

Earlier this summer, the Center for Global Development hosted a guest lecture by the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia Dr.Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus with a panel of experts from Zambia, Mozambique and Uganda and representatives from United States Government (USG) agencies to discuss one of the most challenging concepts to define right now - Country Ownership.

For the last two years, the USG has tried to find a way to partner with developing country governments while they balance their accountability to Congress.  In recent development reform plans like the Global Health Initiative and Feed the Future, there are numerous references to country ownership, country driven, country-led, and country guided but neither actually come out and define the term “country ownership.”

So, what is country ownership? How will we know when we achieve it? It is an end in itself or the best way to ensure long-term sustainability?

It is always very special to witness an idea blossom, a theory carried out in practice, a vision becoming a reality. Such occasions are all too rare and when you’re in one, you really feel like you are living a special moment in history.

Ron O’Connor, Founder of Management Sciences for Health (MSH) and I had this very distinct opportunity two weeks ago in Santa Cruz, Bolivia as we were honored to attend the 25th Anniversary Celebration of PROSALUD.  Over the last 25 years, MSH has been privileged to accompany PROSALUD in its successful journey from one small clinic dependent on outside donations to become one of Bolivia’s primer health care providers with 23 health centers and 5 clinics in 9 cities across the country. And, PROSALUD is financially independent and governed by its own Bolivian Board of Directors.

Originally posted on Global Health TV's website.

Watch Video Coverage of Dispelling Myths About Haiti

The Global Health Council and its partners held a press conference at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna, to bring the attention of the media back to Haiti six months after it was devastated by earthquake.

Experts such as Dr. Paul Farmer, Dr. Jonathan Quick from Management Sciences for Health, Jeff Sturchio from the Global Health Council, and Dr. Jean William Pape from GHESKIO discuss the struggles and successes being made in the troubled nation - and try to dispel a few myths too.

By Muku Mugwagwa

Last week , the keynote speaker at the opening plenary of the 2010 International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria,  was former President Bill Clinton. He took charge of the stage to address how to move forward in the global fight against AIDS. HIV & AIDS has become a chronic disease – we must transition our efforts from an emergency response to one we can sustain.

Clinton began his speech on an optimistic note, stating that the fight against AIDS has managed to raise more funding than any other epidemic in the world. In particular, Clinton highlighted the efforts of UNITAID as an effective avenue for stimulating broad based private funding. Small donations from campaigns such as Project Red prove that small donations from a large mass of people can go a long way in the fight against HIV & AIDS.

At the International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria, my colleagues and I gathered to discuss the principles of smart integration and its challenges, successes, and recommendations for implementation. 

Smart integration means coordinating HIV & AIDS programs with other health programs that have operated independently in the past; providing comprehensive services at all levels of the health system – from households to health facilities and across the continuum of prevention, treatment, and care; and building stronger partnerships between public and private sectors.

There are three perspectives of integration that must be kept in mind when discussing integration – the client, provider, and the efficiency. Smart integration is important now because AIDS has become a chronic disease and we need to move away from the emergency response interventions.

Just over five months ago, Haiti suffered a devastating earthquake that displaced more than 700,000 people.  Addressing the health needs of such a large population in a post-disaster situation is a complex challenge, one Management Sciences for Health (MSH) is supporting through its many programs including our Leadership, Management and Sustainability Program (LMS).

Global Health TV visits Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, to see how MSH’s  systems approach at the community level results in better lives for people living with HIV & AIDS. Management Sciences for Health, an international nonprofit organization, uses proven approaches developed over four decades to help leaders, health managers, and communities in over 60 countries build stronger health systems for greater health impact.

Watch the video.

In fragile states, constraints on governments often prevent them from simultaneously building their stewardship role and immediately expanding service delivery. National and local governments must ultimately lead the process and work together with NGOs and the private sector to successfully strengthen their own health systems.

In Haiti, a two-pronged approach was successfully developed and implemented prior to the earthquake by a four-way partnership between the Government of Haiti, the United States Government, a network of Haitian and international NGOs  (Santé pour le Développement et la Stabilité d’Haíïti) (SDSH), and Management Sciences for Health.

The two-pronged approach included:

Today, the 37^th annual Global Health Council Conference “Goals and Metrics” begins in Washington, DC. MSH is pleased to be a Silver Sponsor of the conference.

MSH is sponsoring two auxiliary events:

“Can Country Ownership Work?  Field Perspectives on Health Systems Strengthening”
Today, June 14, 2-4pm, Governors Room, Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, DC
A panel discussion co-hosted by MSH and Oxfam on how “country ownership”—the management of donor funds by a national government—works in practice. The panel will feature first-hand perspectives from government and civil society health providers from Cambodia, Mozambique, and Nigeria.
The event is open and free to the public.
A live webcast will also be available:  http://www.ustream.tv/channel/can-country-ownership-work