The Health System Strengthening Accelerator (HSS) activity is a cooperative agreement designed to improve how a health system strengthening is done. Ultimately working in up to 20 countries, including Liberia, the Accelerator will connect locally-driven health system innovation with global knowledge, improve the institutional architecture for evidence-based and sustainable health system strengthening (HSS), and accelerate countries’ journeys to self-reliant health systems. 

In Liberia specifically, the HSSA provides technical assistance to the MoH’s Health Financing Unit (HFU) to strengthen key health financing activities including a strong focus on the implementation of the Liberia Health Equity Fund (LHEF).  This will be accomplished through 1) the formation and technical support of an acceleration team whose objective is to advocate for a health financing approach, and 2) a costing approach to be piloted at the county level, and 3) the development of a web-based costing platform for hosting costing data.  The activity includes a sustainability component where key interventions are supported by mentoring and coaching of critical MoH staff.  

Current Activities

• Establishment of and Support to the Liberian Country Acceleration Team
  • Support the formation/rejuvenation of a multi-stakeholder coordination and engagement platform for health financing, through landscaping of existing health financing stakeholders and identification of the appropriate platform for housing ongoing health financing discussions.
  • Embed technical assistance to support the Health Financing Unit through the stakeholder engagement process.
  • Create a catalogue/database of evidence regarding health system reforms that can help in the mobilization of additional funding for health, user fees and revolving drug funds, and sequencing of reforms.
• Conduct a costing study allowing for informed decision making in regard to financing the implementation of the Essential Package of Health Services (EPHS)
• Develop and implement a plan for testing the costing method in selected health facilities.