Improved referral system helps those experiencing poverty in Nasarawa State to better access to secondary care.

This brief introduces the social determinants of health (SDOH) concept and terminology, and discusses approaches to addressing SDOH. Understanding these root causes of health inequities and their impact on health care access, quality, and equity is crucial to strengthening health systems.

Health workers are welcoming new policies that promote equitable access to employment, professional development, and promotion opportunities.

Through energetic and broad stakeholder collaboration, the country’s long-stalled effort to pass a UHC policy has gained momentum.

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.

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 brief builds on the USAID Local Health System Sustainability Project (LHSS) Strengthening Governance report (2022) and global National Quality Policy and Strategy (NQPS) survey, aiming to provide practical examples and considerations for country practitioners to consider on their quality journeys. It includes case studies of three countries that have used NQPS to mobilize and align resources for quality.

This learning brief can be used as a resource for HRH managers, planners, program managers, and frontline practitioners to learn how other countries are approaching and successfully designing and implementing solutions to their HRH challenges. It can also be used as a reference for health policy makers, funders, and implementing partners to inform the design and implementation of HRH resource optimization initiatives covered in this brief.

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.

Health personnel and teachers team up to increase COVID-19 vaccination coverage among families and children through a campaign to counter myths inhibiting community uptake.

A Timorese NGO is helping the Ministry of Health provide accurate information about the COVID-19 vaccine, resulting in increased vaccination in target municipalities.