1 Million Community Health Workers Campaign: Innovation for Primary Health Systems Strengthening in Africa

1 Million Community Health Workers Campaign:

Innovation for Primary Health Systems Strengthening in Africa

Dr. Joanna RubinsteinThe Earth Institute, Columbia University

Ahimsa Round TableAnnecy, June 17, 2013

1 M CHWs Campaign

• Why CHWs?• Why now?• How?

Opportunity: Achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and improve public health in Africa

Challenge: Scaling up of Community Health Workers (CHWs) programs throughout the continent using enabling technologies

Goal: Reach one million trained, mobile phone equipped and deployed CHWs by 2015

Countdown to 2015

Community Health Workers - Who are they?

• Literate• Men and Women• All Ages• Locally Based• Paid and Full Time• Nominated by the Community

CHWs - Program

Case Management

Continuity of Care

Supportive SupervisionHealth Education

Rapid Training Systems

Data Driven ManagementDisease Surveillance

Performance Standards

Innovation

• New cadre of health professionals• Bed nets, diagnostics, vaccines, drugs• Technology – mobile phones, broadband• Partnerships• Financing

Partnerships for Global HealthLocal and Global

• Community• Government• UN Agencies• Academia• NGOs• Private Sector

Dertu, KenyaMay 2008

How Digital Technology is Fueling the MDGs

ADDED VALUE OF SMARTPHONES

Part II

• Service-delivery focused user-interface Built in algorithms for point-of-

service decision support Multimedia including audio and

image support• Real-time data submitted via internet

(2G, 3G) to improve: Case management Public health surveillance CHW supervision

• SMS for appointment reminders• One cloud server

1. Rapid training and deployment of CHWs (national scale up plans)

2. Establishment of real-time monitoring system of CHWs activities and progress towards health goals

3. Improvement of scalable management systems that lead to improved performance over time

• Led by a Steering Committee comprised of key organizations and experts from UN agencies, academia, private sector and civil society

• Call upon governments and international partners to mobilize financing in support of these goals

• Work with all members of the African Union that request assistance to provide technical support for the scaling up of CHW programs

Campaign Goals

Campaign Activities

• “Operations Room”• Managing Scale-Up • Rapid Training Systems • Sustainable Financing &

GovernanceSupport:-ITU/UNESCO Broadband-Commission for Development-MDG Advocates-AU, governments

Builds upon work of the Taskforce Report (2011)

UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network www.unsdsn.org and the Post

2015 Development

Society’s commitment to four interconnected objectives: • economic development• social inclusion • environmental sustainability • good governance (including security).

SDSN Sustainable Development Goals

Achieve health & wellbeing at all ages