Clinton Health Access Initiative

08/21/2025

For this month’s staff profile, we’re thrilled to spotlight Refiloe Damane, a dynamic team member whose journey reflects the spirit of CHAI in action.

Ref’s days are anything but predictable. Whether preparing for high-level meetings with Lesotho’s Minister of Health on non-communicable diseases or coordinating with local stakeholders on One Health initiatives, he thrives in the fast-paced, collaborative environment CHAI is known for.

Learn more about Refiloe’s story: https://www.clintonhealthaccess.org/blog/staff-spotlight-refiloe-damane/

08/20/2025

For this month’s staff profile, we’re thrilled to spotlight Refiloe Damane, a dynamic team member whose journey reflects the spirit of CHAI in action.

Ref’s days are anything but predictable. Whether preparing for high-level meetings with Lesotho’s Minister of Health on non-communicable diseases or coordinating with local stakeholders on One Health initiatives, he thrives in the fast-paced, collaborative environment CHAI is known for.

Learn more about Refiloe’s story: https://www.clintonhealthaccess.org/blog/staff-spotlight-refiloe-damane-senior-manager-programs/

08/19/2025

📌CHAI marks 20 years of partnership in the Asia-Pacific region this year. 🎉

This strategic collaboration has helped save countless lives—and our work is far from over. Discover how we’re expanding our efforts for a healthier, more inclusive tomorrow.

08/18/2025

Papua New Guinea faces one of the highest childhood stunting rates globally. 48% of children under five are affected. In response, the Government of PNG launched the Fast Track Initiative (FTI) and secured a US$90 million loan from the World Bank to implement the Child Nutrition and Social Protection Project (CNSP).

CHAI is proud to partner with the National Department of Health to support nutrition initiatives in Madang Province. On Friday, August 15, we signed an MOA with the government to accelerate progress in reducing child malnutrition through social protection, nutrition education, and policy support.

Together, we’re committed to giving every child in PNG a healthier start in life.

Read more:

NewsHealth CHAI signs agreement with Health Dept on US$90m project in Madang By The Sunday Bulletin - August 16, 2025 0 289 FacebookTwitterPinterestWhatsApp From left, NDOH project coordinator Dr Godfrey Yikii and CHAI PNG country manager Brian Wamala signing the MoA. Picture supplied by NDOH media....

08/18/2025

For many years, Zambia’s HIV program prioritized treatment, leaving notable gaps in the prevention response. These included limited visibility, weak coordination, and insufficient human resource capacity—particularly at subnational levels.

To address these challenges, CHAI, with support from the Gates Foundation through the Sustainable Transitions to Resilient, Integrated Combination Prevention and Dissemination of Evidence (STRIDE) grant, seconded HIV Prevention Coordinators to four provinces: Central, Copperbelt, Northern, and Northwestern.

Working in close collaboration with provincial health teams, these coordinators played a pivotal role in advancing HIV prevention. They strengthened coordination, improved integration across programs, and mobilized resources to reinforce the prevention response at both provincial and community levels.

"We had issues around data, for example, and service provision, in terms of providing HIV prevention services in the facilities. But when we got this support, we have seen tremendous improvement in these areas of HIV prevention, and this is something we're grateful for." ~ Dr. Kizito Sampa, Public Health Specialist, Provincial Health Office, Northwestern Province

Watch the video to learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlWGtkO6Z9Y&t=8s


Gates Foundation

08/14/2025

Our CEO Dr. Neil Buddy Shah joined Devex this week to discuss a pivotal moment in global health: how today's funding cuts are reshaping tomorrow's systems.

Shah was direct about the immediate and stark reality—massive reductions in expenditure will lead to additional people dying. He also argues this disruption creates an unprecedented opportunity to fundamentally reimagine global health. Through CHAI's work with health ministries, we're witnessing governments respond creatively —finding efficiencies, reallocating resources to the most cost-effective and critical interventions and commodities, and exploring new financing approaches.

From streamlined training programs to countries pooling procurement power, the solutions emerging are country-led and designed for sustainability. But as Shah warned, "We don't have forever to figure out what the new system will look like."

Read the full conversation and insights: https://www.devex.com/news/devex-newswire-chai-ceo-urges-fresh-vision-for-global-health-amid-aid-cuts-110654

In light of global health cuts, CHAI CEO thinks the focus on global health should now be on reimagining future gains rather than attempting to recreate past successes. Plus, the Gates Foundation goes big on women’s health, and tapping into philanthropic giving in Asia.

08/12/2025

As global health funding faces unprecedented challenges, the Africa Health Sovereignty Summit in Accra last week charted a different path forward.

President John Mahama convened African leaders around the Accra Compact and new SUSTAIN Initiative — moving beyond traditional aid models toward country-led, investment-driven health systems. The Presidential High-Level task force created at the summit will drive critical next steps, including creating mutual accountability between funders and governments.

For CHAI, this represents the systemic change we've worked toward for 20 years. When funding cuts force difficult questions, they also create space for better answers. Health sovereignty isn't just resilient to funding crises — it's the solution to them.

📸: (1) CHAI CEO Dr. Neil Buddy Shah with former head of PEPFAR, Ambassador John Nkengasong; (2) CHAI Country Directors for Nigeria, Olufunke Fasawe, and Ghana, Leslie Emegbuonye, with CHAI Ghana colleagues; and (3) Buddy with the former presidents of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, and Mauritius, Ameenah Gurib-Fakim; Buddy with World Health Organization (WHO)'s Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus; Leslie, Buddy, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Nigeria, Prof. Muhammad Pate, and Funke.

08/12/2025

📌Join us in celebrating 20 years working in the Asia Pacific region!

CHAI began working with countries across the Asia-Pacific region 20 years ago, helping them confront the global HIV/AIDS crisis. Back then, millions of people living with HIV globally lacked access to lifesaving medicine. CHAI negotiated unprecedented price reductions for essential medications and partnered with governments to strengthen public health systems to deliver testing and treatment services.

Because of these efforts, Vietnam saw treatment for HIV-positive children increase by 86%, Myanmar halved infection rates, and Cambodia reached the UN 90-90-90 targets by 2020. Since then, we have partnered with seven countries across the region to address the region’s most pressing health threads – from NCDs to malaria and beyond.

Watch the video to learn more: https://ow.ly/g0ow50WEokn

08/11/2025

📌July marked a major milestone for eye health in Uganda!👓

CHAI donated 16,200 reading glasses to the Ministry of Health- Uganda to support the integration of eye health, including vision screening and reading glasses, into Uganda’s community health service package.

Through this initiative, Community Health Workers will be trained and equipped to:

✅Provide health education to promote eye health
✅Provide basic vision screening
✅Dispense free reading glasses to adults aged 40+ with near vision challenges, and
✅Refer complex cases for further management at healthcare facilities.

The pilot will launch in Kaliro District to generate lessons for a nationwide scale-up, ensuring millions of Ugandans—especially the elderly—gain routine and reliable access to essential vision care.

We deeply appreciate the Ministry of Health’s leadership and all partners for making this milestone possible. Together, we are building a future where eye health is accessible to all.

08/05/2025

The pandemic exposed deep vulnerabilities in medical infrastructure across the globe. In countries like and , the crisis catalysed unprecedented investments and partnerships.

With support from CHAI and other partners, these nations are transforming emergency responses into robust, sustainable health systems—ensuring reliable access to this lifesaving therapy for millions.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4l6VmxF

Unitaid The Global Fund World Health Organization (WHO) UNICEF Supply OPS/OMS Perú - PAHO/WHO Peru Africa CDC Gates Foundation PATH

Health care staff in Chhattisgarh, India, take part in training to operate and maintain lifesaving oxygen equipment. Photo: Clinton Health Access Initiative.

08/04/2025

📌Congratulations to Nigeria on a bold step toward hepatitis elimination!

On World Hepatitis Day, the Federal Ministry of Health Nigeria and the National AIDS, Viral Hepatitis and STIs Control Programme launched Project 365, a landmark initiative to eliminate viral hepatitis in Nigeria by 2030.

📖 Read media coverage of the launch: https://ow.ly/bBZo50WzpZw

The ambitious national campaign will:
✔️ Raise awareness to reduce stigma and drive early diagnosis
✔️ Expand access to hepatitis B and C testing and treatment
✔️ Integrate hepatitis services into existing health platforms
✔️ Strengthen health systems and catalyze sustainable domestic financing

CHAI congratulates the Nigerian government for this bold vision. We are proud to be a technical partner in this journey, supporting:

✅The development and operationalization of the National Viral Hepatitis Strategic Plan and clinical guidelines
✅Market-shaping interventions to improve access to affordable diagnostics and treatment commodities
✅Subnational programming and budgetary allocation in viral hepatitis
✅The decentralization and integration of hepatitis services into public health programs

CHAI was honored to attend the launch, where our colleague Chukwuemeka Agwuocha shared: “This initiative demonstrates Nigeria’s leadership and commitment to eliminating viral hepatitis. The Ministry of Health’s integrated approach will ensure that services are embedded within existing health systems and reach communities that need them most.”

We are committed to working with the government and partners to make this vision a reality.

🔗 Learn more about CHAI’s broader efforts to accelerate hepatitis elimination: https://ow.ly/OmfE50WzpZx

Let’s build on this momentum and work together to end hepatitis in Nigeria.

07/31/2025

📌Partnership aims to help governments to transform digital health delivery and public financial management.

Health systems in low- and middle-income countries often struggle to provide timely and relevant care due to program inefficiencies. Healthcare workers and managers either have insufficient or incomplete information to make the relevant decisions, and governments have limited visibility into how financial resources are allocated and spent, affecting planning and funding for service delivery.

The eGovernments Foundation and CHAI are partnering to help close this gap by supporting governments to establish well-planned, integrated, scalable digital solutions. The collaboration leverages eGov’s DIGIT Health Campaign Management (HCM), and the Integrated Finance Information Exchange (iFIX) platforms, and CHAI's experience in ensuring the technologies are grounded in the realities of public health workflows and responsive to local contexts.

"By pairing CHAI’s public health and implementation experience with eGov’s deep technical capabilities, this partnership helps governments bring cost-effective, high-impact digital solutions to scale.” ~Lakshmi Balachandran, Senior Director, Digital Health, CHAI.

📖Learn more: https://ow.ly/hNVH50Wy5KA

eGov and CHAI three-year collaboration aims to improve public health outcomes through government-led digitization of campaigns and financial systems