In response to an emergency request from the Government of Laos, the Local Health System Sustainability Project (LHSS) is on the ground in Laos working with the Ministry of Health (MOH) to combat the spread of COVID-19.

LHSS worked from April 2020 to November 2022 to address the immediate needs of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic related to prevention, detection, and response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This fact sheet summarizes focus areas, results, and impact.

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. 

What do Lao PDR, Malaysia, and Kenya have in common? All three countries have strengthened their budget structures and processes to enable good health budget execution. Their experiences hold valuable lessons for others striving to increase budget execution and unlock significant resources for health.

LHSS provides technical assistance to the Dominican Republic, and this five-year roadmap outlines a strategic vision, objectives, and initiatives for reaching the final milestone of expanded insurance and standardized health service packages for migrant women residing in or transiting through the Dominican Republic.

LHSS activity in the Dominican Republic during its first year of implementation and detailed steps to pilot initiatives that aim to improve SHP for migrants (including women) in the Dominican Republic

This video highlights the first training session for the standardization of HIV community services held in Santo Domingo, September 2021 by LHSS in partnership with the National Health Service.

For countries facing a large influx of migrants, the best way to ensure that these new members of society have sustained access to essential health services is to have a long-term strategy – one that builds on existing health platforms.

In the Dominican Republic, the dual impact of large numbers of migrants and a health system overwhelmed by COVID-19 has meant that fewer health services are available for migrant women. LHSS is working to improve health protection for the country’s migrant women, most of whom come from Haiti.

Poor budget execution results in inefficiencies that undermine the ability of health agencies to improve access to needed health services and improve population health. Yet billions of dollars in unexecuted health budgets are returned to treasuries every year. 

Population movement of this magnitude places huge stress on health systems in receptor countries. How can health care for migrants be financed? How can health system capacity be expanded? And how can health sector policies and national migration policies be harmonized? 

Panelists discuss the rapid evolution in knowledge of how to best care for critically ill COVID patients, how countries are quickly adapting to ensure improved care for patients, and lessons learned.

At the request of the Laos Ministry of Health, LHSS helped mobilize volunteer medical students to support a national hotline for COVID-19.  At the peak of the Pai Mai holiday, the hotline fielded 5,000 calls a day.

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.

Promising locally-led initiatives, lessons learned, financing alternatives, and opportunities to improve SHP for vulnerable women in the Dominican Republic.