U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Report to Congress on an Interagency Plan to Strengthen the Capacity of Health Systems in Developing Countries

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) submits this report pursuant to Section 7019(e) of Division K of Public Law 115-141, the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2018, which incorporates by reference the requirements of Senate Report 115-152 on the Global Health Programs account, which directed that:

The USAID Administrator, in consultation with the Global AIDS Coordinator at the Department of State, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control, and the heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies, shall develop a comprehensive inter-agency plan to strengthen the capacity of developing countries to effectively manage their national health systems with the goal of promoting country ownership and building resiliency.

USAID is a leading investor in the development of health institutions around the world. Over the last several decades, USAID has established best practices and advanced the state of the art for core health-system functions (see Annex 1), while focusing increasingly on measurable outcomes. USAID led the U.S. Government interagency in the development of the new, integrated approach to strengthening health systems articulated in this report. A “health system” is not just government-funded or -managed organizations, but consists of the people, public and private institutions, resources, and activities whose primary purpose is to improve, expand, and sustain health outcomes.