Shifting Power to Achieve Better Health Outcomes for All
January 19th, 2024 | viewpoint
Despite increasing investments in and efforts for health equity, we are not achieving sustainable equitable health outcomes at scale. Traditionally, the power to decide how health investments are conceptualized, funded, designed, and delivered has been concentrated in the hands of funders and high-level decision makers. Growing calls for localization and decolonization of health aid acknowledge these power imbalances and are spurring efforts to shift leadership and resources to local actors and communities. For these efforts to move beyond a tick-box approach, the global health community must acknowledge and redefine the norms, policies, and practices that shape our development assistance system.
At JSI, we are using our more than 45 years of experience in collaboration with partners to advance a new vision for health investments. This is guided by our Reimagining Technical Assistance (RTA) initiative’s critical shifts, a framework that identifies changes needed to move to a more country-driven, coordinated, and equitable system that delivers higher returns on investments and better health outcomes for all.
These critical shifts were initially defined by government representatives, local and international implementing partners, funders, and community advocates in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria, and later refined and validated with representatives from 13 countries and three funders.
