Project profile — Integrated Health Systems Strengthening in Africa

• Mozambique (19.00%)
• Malawi (14.00%)
• Mali (19.00%)
• Ghana (10.00%)
• Niger (14.00%)
• Ethiopia (24.00%)

• Basic health care:
Basic health care (12220) (30.00%)
Infectious disease control (12250) (25.00%)
Malaria control (12262) (10.00%)
Health personnel development (12281) (35.00%)

• Gender equality (significant objective)

The Catalytic Initiative to Save a Million Lives brings together an international partnership with the goal to accelerate progress on the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). CIDA provides support to this initiative through the Integrated Health System Strengthening Program, implemented by UNICEF. This project aims to strengthen health systems, with particular emphasis on human resources for health, by scaling up a package of essential, high-impact interventions and services that dramatically reduce rates of death and disease among children and mothers. To ensure the most vulnerable populations are reached, UNICEF is training, equipping and deploying community health workers to diagnose and treat children for common causes of illness and mortality in their communities. This project is implemented in Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique and Niger.

N/A

Results achieved as of the end of the project (May 2013) include: Over 61,000 front-line health workers were trained, equipped and deployed in communities in Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Malawi, Mozambique and Niger. Over 50,000 of these community health workers were trained to deliver integrated community case management services to treat children suffering from malaria, diarrhea and pneumonia in their own communities, outside of formal health facilities. These health workers provided over 8.7 million treatments for childhood diseases to children under the age of five, including over 4.7 million treatments for malaria, 2.1 million treatments for suspected pneumonia, and 1.7 million treatments for diarrhea. Through Canada’s support, over 4.3 million bed nets were provided to help prevent malaria; (ii) over 36 million sachets of oral rehydration salts and over 27 million zinc treatments were procured to save the lives of children suffering from diarrhea; and (iii) over 50 million antibiotic tablets were given to treat children under the age of five for suspected pneumonia cases. These results helped the most vulnerable populations in targeted countries access life-saving health services and contributed to reducing the number of mothers and children dying of malaria, diarrhea or pneumonia.

• Proactive disclosure