How local, state programs are helping fill retiring doctors' ranks

Kano State's Zero Dose Learning Hub Community of Practice on Immunization is tackling the crisis of over 280,000 unvaccinated children in the state by coordinating across government ministries, the State House of Assembly, and community leaders to ensure immunization commitments translate into actual funding and vaccine delivery. Its effectiveness is reflected in a dramatic rise in immunization budgets. On the ground, Voluntary Community Mobilizers have helped dispel myths about vaccines.

The Saving Lives and Livelihoods Project tackles vaccine access barriers in hard-to-reach communities by bringing immunization services directly to families on farms and in remote camps with trained mobile health teams. Since the work began, immunizations have increased in several areas, and children who were previously overdue have since been vaccinated.

In response to gaps in accessing psychiatric care, Cedar Oaks Clinic developed a team-based mental health care model that provides alternatives to psychiatric hospitalization through same-day crisis services, six-week intensive community programs, and collaborative care involving 30 specialized staff members. The clinic uses a holistic approach where providers from different specialties work together to create individualized treatment plans. So far, the clinic has served 3,000 patients, receiving hundreds of positive reviews.

The Anambra State Health Insurance Agency (ASHIA) extends health coverage to Nigeria's hard-to-reach groups by embedding insurance premiums into weekly transport worker fees and partnering with cooperatives and trade unions for group enrollment. It also offers an “Adoption Model" that allows donors to sponsor vulnerable residents' coverage. With 235,000 active enrollees, ASHIA has dramatically reduced out-of-pocket healthcare spending from 92.1% to just 10% for those enrolled and has also significantly increased the number of people who seek coverage.

Led by a local doctor and supported by Pfizer's Accord initiative and other partners, Rwanda launched a one-month training fellowship to train local doctors with specialized rheumatology skills. Since its implementation in February 2024, more than 1,800 patients have received rheumatological care, many for the first time in their lives.

Anambra State’s telemedicine program is closing the healthcare access gap in rural communities, making universal health coverage more possible. The program began in 2022 and has since hired and trained 42 doctors in providing remote healthcare. As more people use the telemedicine program, public trust in primary healthcare across the region is increasing.

DEAN Initiative's Youth Health Access Initiative addresses healthcare misconceptions among young people through targeted community outreach, educational workshops in local languages, and training programs for healthcare workers. The initiative specifically addresses myths that Primary Healthcare Centers are only for pregnant women and children, and that health insurance is only for the sick, helping to increase healthcare accessibility.

RestoringVision addresses the global shortage of reading glasses by tackling supply and demand challenges. On the demand side, they partner with local NGOs and governments to provide vision screenings and free initial glasses, particularly for those in regions who either don’t know reading glasses are an option or don’t realize they’re losing their vision. On the supply side, they work to build retail networks and educate employers about productivity benefits, as workers receiving glasses show productivity increases up to 32%.

The Boresha afya ya mama na mtoto (improve the health of mother and child) program works to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates by connecting mothers with community health volunteers. These volunteers provide important education on topics like antenatal care and also help to increase access to immunization services. When the group formed in 2018, 531 women died during childbirth or pregnancy, but as of 2023, that number has dropped to 344 thanks to the program’s initiatives.

The Carter Center, in collaboration with other organizations, launched a project to curb several neglected tropical diseases like river blindness. The Center and its partners provide health education through monthly visits from medical personnel to rural communities that are often most affected by these diseases and administer the necessary medication to fight the illnesses. Over the course of more than 20 years, the Center has delivered 27 million doses of disease-fighting medicine.