Management Sciences for Health

09/08/2025

🌍 Built to Save Lives: Health Systems in a Time of Tough Choices
📅 September 22, 2025 | 🕒 3:00–5:00 PM
📍 Club 101, 101 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10178 |

💡 As global health funding declines, communities around the world face impossible choices:
❌ Which services to cut
❌ Which medicines not to buy
❌ Which lives can’t be saved

Strong health systems are the difference between collapse and continuity of care. They are the foundation that determines whether people live or die.

At this year’s UN General Assembly, Management Sciences for Health, Project HOPE, and mothers2mothers are bringing together experts to spotlight why resilient health systems matter everywhere—from conflict zones to stable economies—and what’s at risk if we neglect them.

👉 Register to join us in person: bit.ly/45LLSTf

09/05/2025

💊 What does resilience look like in Ukraine’s health system?

It looks like pharmacy vans driving to villages where almost no one had access before. It looks like a digital prescription system trusted to process 74 million transactions. It looks like government reforms saving $260 million—while still protecting patients.

These achievements didn’t happen overnight. For eight years, the USAID-funded project worked alongside Ministry of Health of Ukraine to strengthen systems with local leadership, transparency, and sustainability at the core.

When war put immense pressure on the health system, those foundations kept care going.

📖 Read the full story: https://msh.org/story/eight-years-of-safemed-building-a-more-resilient-health-system-in-ukraine/

Read about how SAFEMed's end of project event and how the team strengthened Ukraine’s health system, expanding access to affordable medicines and care—even amid war.

08/28/2025

💡 Adaptation in action. Resilient systems. Lasting impact.

In our latest newsletter, explore how countries are adapting and innovating to strengthen health systems and deliver better care for all.

📌 Featured stories include:
✅ Quality models shaping national policy in Guatemala
✅ District leadership improving outcomes for mothers and newborns in Ghana and Rwanda
✅ Partnerships in Ukraine sustaining access to affordable medicines

🔗 Read the issue: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/adapted-impact-lifesaving-results-better-lsree

08/28/2025

Agosto es el Mes de la Salud Reproductiva en , un momento para honrar las alianzas que están transformando la atención a las madres, los recién nacidos, y las familias en las comunidades indígenas.

Desde 2019, el proyecto Madres y Bebés Saludables (Utz’ Na’n) ha estado ayudando a las comunidades a ampliar el acceso a una atención de alta calidad y con respeto cultural. El año pasado, el proyecto amplió su enfoque a la nutrición, la atención posnatal y la salud infantil durante los primeros 1.000 días de vida, el periodo más crítico para sentar las bases de un futuro saludable.

Trabajando hombro a hombro con el Ministerio de Salud Pública y Asistencia Social, los trabajadores de salud, los socios locales y las comunidades, Utz’ Na’n:

✅ Apoya a más de 18.500 mujeres embarazadas con orientación sobre lactancia materna, nutrición durante el embarazo y cuidado infantile.

✅ Capacitando a más de 4.000 comadronas para que brinden atención de calidad desde el embarazo hasta el posparto y apoyen el crecimiento saludable de los niños durante sus primeros 1.000 días.

Porque apoyar a las madres y a los recién nacidos hoy construye un mañana más saludable.

Más información sobre el proyecto: https://msh.org/.../healthy-mothers-and-babies-in-guatemala/

08/25/2025

August is Reproductive Health Month in —a time to honor the partnerships that are transforming care for Indigenous mothers, newborns, and families.

Since 2019, the Healthy Mothers and Babies (Utz’ Na’n) project has been helping communities expand access to high-quality, culturally respectful care. Last year, the project expanded its focus on nutrition, postnatal care, and child health during the first 1,000 days of life—the most critical window to set the foundation for a healthy future.

Working side by side with health workers, local partners, and communities, Utz’ Na’n is:
✅ Supporting 18,500+ pregnant women with guidance on breastfeeding, pregnancy nutrition, and infant care.
✅ Equipping 4,000+ comadronas (traditional midwives) to provide quality care from pregnancy through postpartum, and to support healthy child growth during the first 1,000 days.

Because supporting mothers and newborns today builds a healthier tomorrow.

Learn more about the project: https://msh.org/projects/healthy-mothers-and-babies-in-guatemala/

08/22/2025

🇪🇹 In Ethiopia’s Amhara region—where tuberculosis ( ) cases are among the highest in the country—conflict has made accessing care more difficult than ever, with life-threatening consequences.

At Adet Primary Hospital, health workers trained and mentored by Management Sciences for Health through the US-funded Eliminate TB Project are responding with innovation: integrating TB screening into the hospital’s surgical unit for the first time.

In just the first month, 220 surgical patients were screened and 8 patients were diagnosed and treated, helping to stop TB transmission in its tracks.

This integrated approach shows how strengthening local capacity can drive lifesaving change—even in the most challenging contexts.

Learn more about our work: https://msh.org/projects/eliminate-tb/

Eliminate TB Project Overview The five-year Eliminate TB Project (2020–2025) builds on MSH’s 15-year legacy in Ethiopia’s TB control efforts. In

08/21/2025

In rural Guatemala, access to reproductive health care can mean the difference between life or death for mothers and newborns. Stockouts of lifesaving medicines and supplies put women—especially Indigenous women—at risk.

Through the Healthy Mothers and Babies in Guatemala (Utz’ Na’n) project, MSH and our partner, Observatorio en Salud Sexual y Reproductiva OSAR, are helping turn policy into impact—ensuring that a dedicated alcohol tax truly becomes a lifeline for women and babies.

Since 2004, 15% of Guatemala’s alcohol tax revenue has been earmarked for reproductive health programs, creating a sustainable, accountable funding stream for maternal and newborn health. In 2025 alone, over USD 16 million is allocated to support these services.

Working together with Indigenous women’s organizations and other civil society partners, Utz’ Na’n is helping ensure this funding reaches the women and children it was created to serve.

Learn more about this lifesaving policy and its impact: https://msh.org/story/guatemalas-alcohol-tax-helps-advance-reproductive-and-maternal-health/

Utz’ Na’n helps improve Indigenous maternal health in Guatemala by expanding care access and tracking alcohol tax funding for reproductive health.

08/15/2025

🇺🇦 Yesterday in Kyiv, leaders from across Ukraine’s health sector, government, civil society, and international partners gathered for a milestone event marking eight years of impact from the Safe, Affordable, and Effective Medicines for Ukrainians (SAFEMed) project, implemented by Management Sciences for Health with support from the U.S. Government.

Since 2017, has worked with Ukrainian partners to transform the country’s pharmaceutical system — making medicines more affordable, strengthening supply chains, and embedding transparency in procurement.

These and other results speak for themselves:

✔️ 5.6M patients reached through the Affordable Medicines program, with more than 15,000 pharmacies enrolled nationwide
✔️ UAH 9.2B (~$259M USD) in national budget savings through procurement reforms
✔️ 12,800+ tons of humanitarian aid worth over UAH 20.5B (~$500M USD) delivered during the first years of the full-scale invasion.
✔️ Expanded access to HIV, tuberculosis, and hepatitis treatment, even in frontline communities.

High-level government representatives recognized the program’s real impact on the lives of millions of Ukrainians — even amid war.

Closing the event, MSH Chief Operating Officer Deborah Hutchison reflected on the lasting value of these reforms: “When the war began, the same systems we had built together proved adaptable and indispensable… Investments that keep delivering impact far beyond their original scope.”

This milestone is a testament to what strong systems make possible — saving lives, protecting transparency, and ensuring access to medicines now and into the future.

📄 Learn more about the systems, innovations, and partnerships driving this change:https://msh.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/SAFEMed-Leaflet.pdf

💬 Read patient and partner voices: https://msh.org/story/eight-years-of-driving-change/



📸 Photographer: Oleksandr Tsybin

08/05/2025

📍 Supporting Kenyan Pharmacists in the Fight Against TB

Through the Tamatisha TB Activity, Management Sciences for Health is working with our partner Centre for Health Solutions - Kenya (CHS) to strengthen the health system and ensure sustainable, high-quality tuberculosis ( ) control across the country.

On July 17, MSH led a Continuing Professional Development ( ) session hosted by the Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya ( ), titled Beyond Pushing Pills, Saving Lives: Smart TB Pharmaceutical Management.

Dr. Ernest Mbae, Senior Deputy Director of Pharmaceutical Services at the National TB Program, shared critical updates on:
✔ TB epidemiology
✔ Prevention and treatment in adults and children
✔ Management of drug-resistant TB

The session reached 777 pharmacists across 46 counties, equipping them with the latest tools and knowledge to support TB care nationwide.

🎥 Watch the recording: https://youtu.be/wwAJIChngr0
🔍 Learn more about Tamatisha TB: https://msh.org/projects/usaid-tamatisha-tb/

USAID Tamatisha TB Overview Despite the advancements it has made in fighting tuberculosis (TB) in recent years, Kenya has struggled to maintain that

07/31/2025

💰 Smarter spending. Stronger systems. Sustainable results.

In our latest newsletter, explore how countries are making strategic investments to build resilient health systems and accelerate progress toward universal health coverage.

📌 Featured stories include:
✅ Closing health financing gaps in India
✅ Locally grounded vaccine delivery costing in Malawi
✅ Smarter procurement in Ethiopia’s supply chain
✅ Lessons from HIV program transitions in Vietnam and Zambia
✅ New pathways to protect financing
✅ How Uganda’s supply chain reforms are building lasting capacity

🔗 Read the issue: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/smart-sustainable-financing-cornerstone-an1uf/

07/30/2025

Closing the Gap: Financing Health for All in India 🇮🇳

What will it take to achieve universal health coverage in India?

In partnership with the National Health Systems Resource Centre, MSH conducted a landmark financial gap analysis across five key health areas—including , , and .

Using our Pro-CAP tool and a hybrid costing model, we helped chart a practical path for aligning investments with health priorities—bringing India closer to health for all.

📊 A smarter way to spend. A healthier future ahead.

Read more: https://msh.org/story/financing-national-health-programs-in-india-msh-helps-uncover-the-gaps-and-chart-a-way-forward/

The report "Financial Gap Analysis of 5 National Health Programmes" identifies funding shortfalls in India's key health initiatives and offers a data-driven roadmap to bridge those gaps.

07/25/2025

💉 What does it really cost to deliver a vaccine in a low-income country?

Our latest study in Malawi provides new evidence. With limited data available to inform budgeting and planning, MSH and partners helped fill a critical gap by estimating the financial and economic costs of COVID-19 vaccine delivery across 20 sites.

Key findings:
💵 Financial cost per dose: $4.55
💰 Economic cost per dose: $16.15
🧑‍⚕️ Labor accounted for 66% of economic costs
🚐 Transport, per diem, and travel made up 50%+ of financial costs

📊 Unlike global models built on assumptions, our bottom-up costing approach used real facility-level data—offering clarity for future pandemic preparedness and response planning.

This research highlights the need for country-specific cost data to support accurate, equitable, and sustainable health financing strategies.

📚 Read more: https://resource-allocation.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12962-025-00610-2

While COVID-19 vaccines became available in late 2020, low-income countries (LICs) faced challenging COVID-19 vaccine distribution efforts in terms of both a delayed and scarce vaccine supply and barriers reaching the target populations. The cost of delivering COVID-19 vaccines in LICs is uncertain,...