Benin: Strengthening Community Health for Sustainable Primary Health Care
OverviewBenin is advancing its Politique Nationale de Santé Communautaire (PNSC; 2024–2030) — the National Community Health Policy — to deliver essential primary health care services directly to households through Relais Communautaires (RCs, or community relays) and Agents de Santé Communautaire Qualifiés (ASCQs, or qualified community health workers).
A central component of this work is application of the Community Health Planning and Costing Tool (CHPCT), developed by MSH in collaboration with UNICEF and used in multiple countries, to model service delivery costs, fiscal sustainability, and projected health impact. In Benin, CHPCT supports national stakeholders in assessing cost-effectiveness, estimating long-term financing requirements, and shaping evidence-based investment cases for community health.
Our approach focuses on:
- Translating national policy into operational and institutional arrangements
- Strengthening sustainable community health financing pathways
- Reinforcing decentralized planning and execution at commune level
- Building national capacity for data-driven oversight and decision-making
By aligning financing, governance, and frontline delivery, MSH supports Benin in building a resilient, nationally led community health system that advances universal health coverage.
