MSH Annual Report 2010

For four decades in more than 130 countries, Management Sciences for Health (MSH) has taken a whole-of-society approach to development: MSH works with governments to strengthen their leadership and governance capacity and with private and civil society organizations to improve service delivery systems. Through this locally driven approach, MSH regularly works its way out of a job.

Today the global health community is reaching a tipping point in the movement for universal health coverage through strong health systems. Instead of focusing on immediate impact for individual diseases, MSH has come to realize that sustained impact depends on local efforts that integrate and improve basic health services so that they are accessible, affordable, and appropriate for everyone. Future success will depend not only on continued product and technology innovation, but even more importantly on systems innovation—new ways of expanding the use of existing prevention and treatment techniques.

The stories in this report show what systems innovation can do when led by people integrated throughout society—ministries of health, facility health providers, district managers, community health workers, and individuals. One important example: MSH has worked to improve women’s health since day one, but we see that innovative approaches to empowering women are vital to make efficient, lasting improvements in their health and the health of whole communities. The people represented are the heartbeat of MSH’s work, along with a dedicated worldwide staff from more than 70 countries and the funders, including the US and European governments, foundations, international agencies, corporate partners, and private individuals.