Integrated Health Services Activity (IHSA)
Integrated Health Services Activity (IHSA)
Creating a better future for Benin
From 2018 to 2023, IHSA improved health outcomes for women and children in Benin and implemented measures that will continue to make a lifesaving impact for years to come.
Provided quality antimalarial medicines to 1.8 million children between 2019 and 2022 through the implementation of seasonal malaria chemoprevention campaigns
Connected 2,275 gender-based violence survivors with quality medical, judicial, and psychosocial care as well as advisory and financial support to launch their own businesses and become financially independent
Delivered 177 resuscitation kits, 394 birthing boxes, 247 episiotomy boxes, and 181 obstetric vacuum cups to 296 health facilities across Benin to strengthen maternal, newborn, and intensive care and improve health outcomes
Provided infection prevention and control equipment to help health workers and citizens fight COVID-19, including 417,000 surgical masks, 22,786 cloth masks, 740,000 latex gloves, 2,673 liters of hand sanitizer, 169 megaphones, and 100 handwashing stations
IHSA Celebrates Achievements Over Past Five Years to Strengthen Benin’s Health System
MSH and the IHSA team held a closeout ceremony in October 2023 to recognize the work that has been accomplished during its five years of implementation (2018-2023) in the departments of Alibori, Atacora, Ouémé, and Plateau to improve the accessibility and quality of health services for women and children. Representatives from the US Embassy, USAID, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Microfinance as well as implementing partners—including Management Sciences for Health (MSH)—were in attendance. The event highlighted how IHSA helped reduce maternal and child morbidity and mortality through strong governance, citizen engagement, and sustainable interventions.
Overview
The USAID Integrated Health Services Activity (IHSA) helped reduce maternal and child mortality in 4 of Benin’s 12 departments—Alibori, Atacora, Ouémé, and Plateau—covering nearly 3,500,000 people (34% of Benin’s total population). By taking a systems approach based on stronger governance, leadership, and management, the project helped nearly two million children receive malaria preventive medication, connected survivors of gender-based violence with streamlined support, and expanded access to quality antenatal and postnatal care. IHSA provided technical assistance to strengthen the delivery of high-impact malaria, family planning, maternal and child health, and gender-based violence services in the public sector while supporting the decentralization of the health system to local communities. By fostering local ownership, strong governance, and citizen engagement in the health sector, the five-year project implemented interventions that can be sustained and built upon for years to come.
From 2018 to 2023, IHSA helped achieve the following results:
- The percentage of pregnant women attending antenatal care who received three doses of preventive malaria treatment increased from 26% to 44%
- More than 66,000 children under five with suspected malaria received treatment
- The percentage of pregnant women receiving at least four antenatal care visits increased from 25% to 34%
- The percentage of deliveries at the health facility level increased from 72% to 91%
- The percentage of babies receiving prenatal care within two days of birth increased from 45% to 56%
AlafiaComm : Solution Numérique pour la Gestion des Données Communautaires
Providing Respectful and High-Quality Care to Reduce Maternal Mortality
Strengthening maternal and neonatal care service delivery in Benin through the Integrated Health Services Activity.
Floride Niyuhire
Project Director
Project Contact
Dr. Floride Niyuhire has more than 20 years of public health experience in Africa, ranging from hospital-based medical practice to policy formulation and implementation. Over the years, Dr. Niyuhire has been integral to supporting ministries of health in implementing change agendas, developing and operationalizing new policies, and introducing innovative approaches to struggling health systems. Since joining us in 2011, she has provided technical and managerial leadership to the Liberian Ministry of Health in implementing performance-based financing (PBF) mechanisms; supported the Rwandan Ministry of Health in institutionalizing Rwanda’s health accreditation system; and worked with the ministries of health in Rwanda, Haiti, and Malawi to develop PBF policies to scale up high-impact interventions in maternal, newborn, and child health. Prior to joining MSH, Dr. Niyuhire led a World Bank Institute program to build the capacities of health-sector stakeholders in nine West African countries to implement PBF mechanisms. She holds a master’s degree in public health and is a medical doctor with seven years of experience as a general practitioner in hospitals in Burundi.
Donors & Partners
Donors
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI)
Partners
Dimagi, Inc.
Association pour l’Education, la Sexualité et la Santé en Afrique (APESSA)
Centre de Recherche en Reproduction Humaine et en Démographie (CERRHUD)
Centre de Réflexions et d’Actions pour le Développement Intégré et la Solidarité (CeRADIS)
Organisation pour le Développement Durable, le Renforcement et l’Auto promotion des Structures Communautaires (DEDRAS)