Purchasing for health, which includes what, how, and from whom services are purchased, was one of the policy levers available to countries as part of their health systems' response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ideally, the purchasing function should align with the broader health financing...

Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) is a top global priority, and nutrition actions are a critical part of meeting that goal. When delivered within key windows of opportunity to improve health throughout the life-course, essential nutrition actions play an important role in reducing the...

Following years of political instability, Cote d’Ivoire has recorded a rapid growth rate over the past seven years and entrenched its status as a lower-middle-income country. However, the country’s epidemiological profile remains comparable to that of low-income countries, and health...

Despite the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR)’s significant economic growth over the last decade, poor nutritional outcomes remain a concern. Rates of malnutrition are particularly high in remote, rural, and upland areas. Redressing these high rates of malnutrition is critical in...

The Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) has experienced rapid and significant economic growth over the past decade. However, poor nutritional outcomes remain a concern. Rates of childhood undernutrition are particularly high in remote, rural, and upland areas. Media have the potential...

Undernutrition begins early in life and has lifelong consequences. The cost of undernutrition both for the individual and the economy are substantial. Analyzing data from an Indian cohort, the New Delhi Birth Cohort, formed between 1969 and 1972, this paper provides evidence on the associations...

Declines in rates of child stunting in the Philippines have decelerated, making it hard for the country to achieve its targets on nutritional outcomes. The knowledge base, beliefs, and practices of caregivers have been extensively researched, but little is known about how health workers and...

This study analyzes responses to past natural disasters in four countries in South Asia - Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Pakistan. Of 178 hazardous events reported in the four countries during the 10 years covered by this study (2009-19), 126 were classified as disasters and used for the...

This Discussion Paper starts at the local level and reimagines primary health care (PHC) and the PHC workforce from the perspective of people living in rural and underserved urban areas of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Drawing on research evidence and successful examples, it presents...