Learning and knowledge sharing are fundamental to the LHSS Project. We invite you to search LHSS knowledge products and resources for the latest approaches, insights, and learning in the field of integrated health systems strengthening.
Two years ago, as it struggled to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus and get people vaccinated, the Government of Jamaica turned to private health care providers for help. The results went well beyond its expectations.
The COVID-19 pandemic placed extraordinary stress on the Kyrgyz Republic’s health system and health care providers, revealing the need for new approaches that would address the immediate needs brought on by the pandemic and contribute to the country’s health system resilience.
This brief presents the achievements of two NGOs that received grants to conduct risk communication and community engagement work under the LHSS Project in the Kyrgyz Republic. It examines the grants’ capacity strengthening impact on the two organizations, describes lessons learned, and provides recommendations for donors, implementing partners, and local government partners implementing similar programs.
This brief presents work completed under the LHSS Kyrgyz Republic Activity Intervention 4: Enhance Cold Chain System. LHSS worked with key government stakeholders, including the Republican Center of Immunoprophylaxis, to digitalize and update components of the country’s vaccine registry and complement these updates by adding additional functionalities for cold chain tracking and management.
With a grant from LHSS, the Jamaican health care firm Online Medics is supporting the government’s COVID-19 vaccination effort while gaining valuable new business capacities. “LHSS allowed me to think in the long term – where I wanted my company to go and what I need to do to get it there,” says owner Alex Tracey.
Since vaccines became available in 2021, only 26 percent of Jamaicans have been vaccinated – a far cry from the country’s goal of 65 percent by March 2022. Religious communities were among the victims of the misinformation causing vaccine hesitancy, with many of the country’s Christians believing the vaccines represented “the mark of the beast.” In response, the government called on church leaders to play a more prominent role in the country’s vaccination effort.
Health workers play a central role not only in providing continued care for COVID-19 patients, but also in promoting vaccination and combating misinformation, with evidence-based health education.
The Universal Nurse Model merges functions of three types of physician-directed nurses into one patient-centered nursing role, allowing better health outcomes with the same number of doctors and nurses.