The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – specifically SDG 3 but also other health-related SDGs – acknowledge that ensuring healthy lives and promoting wellbeing at all ages is essential to sustainable
development, and as such, they include universal health coverage (UHC) as a crosscutting and unifying objective.

Before the COVID-19 global pandemic, major progress had been achieved on improving the health of millions of people worldwide, including: higher life expectancy, reduced maternal and child mortality, and increased
immunization coverage. However, to address persistent and emerging health challenges and reach the SDGs by 2030, this progress must be considerably accelerated, especially with regards to maternal and child health, communicable and non-communicable diseases, access to health in emergencies, and mental health.

COVID-19 has threatened progress by shattering health systems globally. Most countries, especially low-income countries (LICs), have insufficient health facilities, medical supplies, and health care workers to address the increased needs. Some services have been suspended to prioritize COVID-19 patients and reduce the transmission risks. These healthcare disruptions could reverse decades of improvements.

Additionally, emerging challenges posed by demographic, socio economic and environmental factors must also be addressed to counter the widespread disparities across countries and regions.

This involves drawing on new technologies and innovations and leveraging on new investment opportunities to attain universal health coverage. As such, finding innovative and durable solutions to current growing challenges is an urgent task, and requires far more than ad hoc products or interventions. Systemic approaches are needed to tackle structural
vulnerabilities and reduce the negative effect of growing shocks and stresses on people and systems.

Problem statement: Despite evident progress toward the achievement of SDG3 and other health-related SDGs, much remains to be done to produce the desired health outcomes, and address the persistent inequalities and barriers to quality, accessible, safe, and universal health care services in LICs and MICs. COVID-19 has further exacerbated pre-existing vulnerabilities, slowed progress, and created new challenges. As such, innovative solutions – products, processes, and business models – are needed to accelerate progress, address emerging challenges, and tackle the many barriers faced by communities, healthcare providers, and systems in these regions.

Mindset-PCS is proud to share its latest publication with The Joint (JDC) on health innovation programing in Low and Middle Income Countries – with a specific focus on Ethiopia and South Africa.

The research includes an overall analysis of best practices, challenges and gaps on health innovation in LMICs, as well as core recommendations for enhanced programming.

You can access the report here.