WHA79 Reinforced the Growing Demand for Practical, Country-Led Health Systems Solutions 

Conversations throughout the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA79) reflected a global health sector under significant pressure to adapt. Across meetings with governments, donors, multilaterals, and technical partners, a consistent theme emerged: countries are being asked to sustain and expand essential health services in a far more constrained financing environment while accelerating progress toward stronger, more self-reliant health systems. 

What stood out most was not simply the scale of the challenge, but the shift in what partners are looking for. Increasingly, countries and institutions are seeking practical support that connects strategy to execution—partners that can help strengthen systems, improve operational performance, and navigate complex transitions with measurable results. 

These discussions strongly reflected the direction we at Management Sciences for Health (MSH) have been advancing in recent years. 

At WHA79, our delegation engaged partners around a range of priorities that are becoming increasingly urgent across the sector: strengthening financing and sustainability, improving procurement and supply chain performance, expanding access to quality primary health care, integrating services, strengthening workforce performance, and using data more effectively for decision-making. 

There was also strong interest in advisory and implementation models that are more agile, embedded, and responsive to country priorities. Through Azura Sankofa Advisory (ASA), MSH is expanding its ability to support governments, donors, and institutions with strategic advisory services grounded in decades of implementation experience. This combination of high-level strategy and operational execution increasingly reflects what many stakeholders are seeking: partners who can help move from policy ambition to practical delivery. 

MSH continues to support countries through long-term systems strengthening partnerships—from improving pharmaceutical and supply chain systems in Ethiopia and Ukraine, to advancing sustainable financing approaches in Benin, to strengthening district-level primary health care performance in countries such as Ghana and Rwanda.

Across discussions, there was growing recognition that technical expertise alone is not enough. Countries are looking for approaches that strengthen local leadership, build institutional resilience, and help systems continue functioning effectively amid financial uncertainty and shifting donor landscapes. 

This is particularly relevant in areas where MSH continues to support countries through long-term systems strengthening partnerships—from improving pharmaceutical and supply chain systems in Ethiopia and Ukraine, to advancing sustainable financing approaches in Benin, to strengthening district-level primary health care performance in countries such as Ghana and Rwanda. 

WHA79 reinforced that the future of global health will depend increasingly on partnerships that support countries to adapt, prioritize, and sustain progress under difficult conditions. For MSH, the conversations in Geneva affirmed both the urgency of this moment and the continued relevance of approaches that combine technical depth, operational experience, and long-term partnership with countries.