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.

Improved internet connectivity and capacity strengthening have increased timeliness and completeness of health data reporting in Timor-Leste. That makes all the difference for the country’s health officers.

This brief includes a global evidence review of DFS for health conducted by LHSS and an analysis of two programmatic case studies of DFS for health by Management Sciences for Health (MSH) through the Digital Square initiative.

In the wake of recent political conflicts and global sanctions, Afghan women once again have access to family planning and maternal and child health products, thanks to the devoted efforts of a private social marketing organization.

With LHSS support, the Ministry of Health in Ukraine is connecting health facilities with telemedicine equipment, training physicians and patients, and forging other parts of an impactful telemedicine system: policies, transparent financing arrangements for services, and agreed-upon roles among stakeholders.

This learning brief captures LHSS’s experience in supporting municipal-level partners through the contracting process and distills emerging lessons to inspire other municipalities to pursue public-private partnerships as a vehicle for expanding access to urban PHC services.

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 two-pager focuses on USAID’s Learning Question 5, “What are effective and sustainable mechanisms or processes that enable the participation of private sector, civil society, and public organizations in developing locally-led solutions to improve high-performing health care, especially for poor and vulnerable populations? What enables the effective participation or leadership of marginalized populations themselves in the development and implementation of these solutions? Under what conditions is this participation different?”

New capacities in delivering remote care are saving lives and strengthening Ukraine's health system resilience. 

Ukraine is facing extraordinary challenges to its health system amidst the Russian invasion, including attacks on Ukrainian medical facilities and infrastructure. To restore and maintain critical health services to Ukraine’s dispersed population, the Ministry of Health is strengthening its capacity to offer medical consultations via telemedicine. This two-page Progress Update describes LHSS technical assistance for the effort and results as of January 2023.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused many doctors to leave the country, compromised patients’ safety when seeking care, and displaced large portions of the population away from their primary health care providers. A strong national telemedicine system will be key to assuring access to health services for Ukrainians, now and in the future. Experiences from other conflict/disaster areas may provide insights, helping Ukraine assess and implement its own telemedicine response.

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.

This brief explores ways in which digital tools and systems can be used successfully and responsibly to advance SBC interventions in support of health system strengthening, and provides recommendations for future programming and areas of research.

Five innovators—from Nigeria, Senegal, India, and Cameroon— are working with LHSS to sustainably scale up their businesses and reach more people with their vital health services.

USAID launched the Inclusive Health Access Prize (IHAP) to recognize five private innovators working to improve the accountability, affordability, accessibility, and reliability of health care for poor and vulnerable populations. This brief captures lessons on supporting innovative health businesses.