Financing Health Services: Blog Posts

On our minds: All hands on deck to eliminate TB

November 03, 2020
{Doctors visit patients in Rabia Balkhi hospital, Kabul Afghanistan. Photo Credit: Afghan Eyes/Jawad Jalali}

COVID-19 will impact the prevention and treatment of many diseases, and there are particularly grim possibilities for tuberculosis (TB), which could set back our progress toward its elimination. Fortunately, our emphasis on strengthening local health systems is helping to build resilience against this kind of shock. We reached out to MSH technical experts leading three new global and national TB programs to learn what’s on their minds as their teams begin implementation under a COVID-19 reality. They all agree: COVID-19 reminds us why we cannot become complacent, and when it comes to the global fight to eliminate TB, it is no longer business as usual. Read what Ersin Topcuoglu, Daniel Gemechu, and Ehsanullah Darwish had to say about how we can fundamentally improve the way countries fight TB.

Who gets what and why? Countries need informed decision-making through health technology assessment to allocate resources during the pandemic

September 30, 2020
[A USAID MTaPS field consultant talks with a health worker at Marikina Valley Medical Center, Philippines. Photo credit: MSH staff]

Originally published in Think Global HealthHalf of all medical equipment in Bangladesh’s public health facilities—hospital beds, ventilators, nebulizers, refrigerators, and vehicles—goes unused. Meanwhile, in Uganda, ultrasound machines are overused for a small number of patients, while many in need go without. In Ukraine, about 40 percent of adults have had to borrow money or sell assets to afford medical treatment.Why such painful gaps and discrepancies?

Moving LMICs toward Self-Reliance: A Roadmap for Systematic Priority Setting for Resource Allocation

September 14, 2020

Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) struggle to reach and sustain universal health coverage (UHC) due to limited and inefficient allocation of resources. Their health systems are strained by a dual burden—continuing to manage infectious diseases, such as HIV, TB, and malaria, while responding to the prevalence growth of noncommunicable diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular conditions. COVID-19 is placing even more demands on already stretched resources.

Making the Case for Investing in Community Health Workers

October 07, 2019
[Community health workers in Madagascar review patient data. Photo Credit: Samy Rakotoniaina/MSH]

When community health programs are well-designed, managed, and sufficiently funded, they can yield substantial health and economic benefits.

Without 'Concrete' Directives, New UHC Agreement Could Fall Flat

July 03, 2019
{A secretary records the weekly collection amounts for a savings and internal lending group in Madagascar. Photo credit: Samy Rakotoniaina/MSH}

By Amy Lieberman, Jenny Lei RaveloThis story was originally published by DevexThe onus to help everyone — including the most marginalized — secure universal health care coverage will likely depend more on individual government spending than on new foreign assistance, experts say.Funding will be a critical, but not guaranteed, element in the forthcoming universal health coverage agreement governments will sign in September during the opening of the U.N. General Assembly session.“Aid is not going to help achieve the global health goals.

Mobilizing Resources for Health: MSH at the 5th Health Systems Research Symposium

October 12, 2018
[David Collins, Senior Health Finance Advisor at MSH, demonstrates how an open source community health planning and costing tool, developed with UNICEF, can be used to cost health services and prepare investment cases for community health interventions.] {Photo credit: Greg Olson/MSH}

 This week, at the 5th Health System Research (HSR) Symposium in Liverpool, MSH shared some of our important work in health care financing. A common theme was using simple cost models to calculate the resources needed to provide good quality health services.

Community Health Workers: A Priority for Universal Health Coverage?

August 28, 2017
[Community Health Volunteer in a remote village of Tulear, Madagascar, giving instructions to a client on the use of pregnancy tests.] {Photo credit: Samy Rakotoniaina/MSH}

How Countries Can Move toward Building Sustainable Community Health ProgramsThis article was originally published in Global Health NOW. Universal health coverage (UHC) is increasingly recognized as the best way to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal targets on health. But with 400 million people lacking access to essential health services and a projected shortage of 18 million health workers, it will take unprecedented effort and funding.

MSH's Working Principles for Health Development Initiatives in Fragile States

April 07, 2012
Women and child in Tambura, South Sudan. {Photo credit: MSH.}

Nearly 50 countries, including Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Liberia and South Sudan, are considered a fragile or conflict-affected state -- a state that is in conflict, recovering from conflict or crisis, or a state that has collapsed or has a strong and repressive government. Over nearly 40 years of working in fragile states, Management Sciences for Health (MSH) has identified best practices, lessons learned, and appropriate interventions for a myriad of situations in fragile states.