Back
15 October 2018
Health Strategy and Delivery Foundation (HSDF) is pleased to be part of the consortium for the Health Systems Strengthening Accelerator (HSS Accelerator), led by Results for Development. The HSS Accelerator, a new USAID-funded initiative, is a global platform that will connect locally-driven health system reforms and innovations with global knowledge, enhance local institutions devoted to ongoing systems strengthening, and accelerate countries’ journeys to self-reliant health systems.
With an emphasis on local ownership and direction for health systems change from the start, the Accelerator will support up to 20 self-selected innovator countries to improve the way they strengthen their own health systems. Inspired by technology accelerators that support groups of innovators working on similar approaches, participating countries will address vexing health system challenges, such as poor quality of service delivery, adherence to quality guidelines across a number of health issues, or lack of integration of private sector providers with the rest of the health system, to name a few. They will design and implement their own local approaches adapted from global evidence and lessons learned, with emphasis on the complex root causes of health systems problems, as well as the motivations and political dynamics that surround them. Over five years, participating countries will share their results and experiences to accelerate both their own progress and global know-how.
The Accelerator aims to enhance health systems strengthening efforts by:
- Moving toward coaching of regional or local institutions and leaders to drive change.
- Designing health systems change more iteratively, with greater learning-by-doing, peer-to-peer action learning, and adaptation sparking innovative approaches
- Translating global knowledge and experience on health systems strengthening — already effectively aggregated by several global and regional hubs — more effectively into day-to-day decision-making by health system change agents
- Synthesizing and sharing local learning about what works (and what doesn’t) with the global health community — for a particular health system problem and for how to build the kinds of local institutions and capacities needed to continually improve systems.
“HSDF is proud and excited to partner with R4D and ICF in this landmark project and is looking forward to transforming health care delivery models while building resilient, strong health systems across Africa,” said Dr. Kelechi Ohiri, Chief Executive Officer, HSDF. Reflecting on the huge opportunity the Accelerator could have for multiple countries, the Chief Executive Officer of R4D, Gina Lagomarsino noted, “R4D’s mission is to work with change agents around the globe to create self-sustaining systems that support healthy, educated people, and that’s exactly what the HSS Accelerator aims to do.”
“HSDF has worked extensively with the key stakeholders across all levels of health care delivery in Nigeria, this program affords us the opportunity to drive sustainable improvements in Africa’s health sector,” said Dr. Zeluwa Maikori, HSDF’s program lead.
HSDF looks forward to leveraging its expertise, that of its very experienced partners, and several country teams to build resilient, self-reliant and strong health systems across Africa.
