Children under five and women living in remote regions benefit from better access to medical treatment thanks to Switzerland's efforts in the realm of family medicine. © SDC

Good governance and the efficient management of resources are key factors in a well-functioning health sector. The SDC promotes the strengthening of health care systems in developing and transition countries. Switzerland strives to promote universal health coverage through its activities both to establish social protection mechanisms and to advocate for access to quality health care for the most vulnerable. 

SDC focus

Financing health

The SDC's support for health sector reforms in its partner countries is based on a thorough analysis of the prevailing political, economic and social contexts. Its aim: to guarantee access to quality health services for the poorest.

A combination of research and action enables the SDC to encourage the development of innovative financing and payment mechanisms for health services. Its interventions are always aligned with national policies and priorities, and implemented in direct cooperation with its governmental, non-governmental and private partners in the health sector. This approach seeks to develop a form of social protection capable of preventing the most vulnerable members of society from plunging into poverty as a result of their expenditure on health-related problems. SDC projects focus on the public sector and providing support to public-private partnerships. 

Governance and participation

The SDC promotes efforts to establish better governance in the health sector and supports both governmental and non-governmental actors in this objective as they strive to develop a culture of accountability, wage war on corruption and achieve transparency in the allocation and utilisation of resources.

At the community level, the SDC supports health promotion initiatives which involve marginalised and disadvantaged population groups. All users are encouraged to participate in the management and follow-up of health services as this helps reduce access barriers to care and leads to better health outcomes. This process of social empowerment enables users to know and assert their rights, and allows health care professionals to better respond to the needs of the population by offering quality care.

Determinants of health

The health of individuals and communities depends on a multitude of economic, social, cultural and environmental factors. SDC projects give priority to cooperation and coordination between different sectors (water, agriculture, education, etc.) in order to influence the various factors that constitute "determinants of health". Its activities also aim to encourage behavioural change and ensure that the poorest of the poor can exercise their right to health.

The SDC cooperates with other federal departments and offices such as the Human Security Division (HSD) and the FDFA's Sectoral Foreign Policies Division, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

Context

Faced with growing populations in the low-income countries and the ageing of the global population, establishing efficient and equitable health systems is a priority. However, health care systems in a large number of countries suffer from a lack of investment and poor management of the available resources, with services relying too heavily on external funding. As a result, infrastructure, technologies and equipment are lacking, and there is an acute shortage of qualified health workers. Furthermore, the absence of social protection mechanisms forces patients to cover a large part of the costs themselves, thereby exacerbating the inequalities in access to care. At the end of the day, the economic consequences of a poor health care system are hindering development in the countries concerned.

In its position on health for the post-2015 agenda, Switzerland aspires to maximise health for all in all life stages. The long-term objective is to achieve universal health coverage and take coordinated action on the social, economic, cultural and environmental determinants of health. After all, the conditions in which people are born, raised and work have an impact on their state of health. Adopting an approach to health that involves other sectors such as water, sanitation, education and food security is therefore absolutely essential to overcoming inequalities.

Documents

Swiss Contributions to Human Resources for Health Development in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, complete study (PDF, 102 Pages, 934.0 kB, English)

Swiss Contributions to Human Resources for Health Development in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, summary (PDF, 6 Pages, 3.3 MB, English)

Qualitative research on foreign health personnel in Switzerland and their recruitment (PDF, 635.5 kB, German)

WHO Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property: the Contribution of Switzerland (PDF, 1.1 MB)

Human Resources for Health Development in Low- and Middle- Income Countries Health Brief (PDF, 4 Pages, 274.3 kB, English)

Health despite poverty: a SDC-Sponsored project changes people's perspective Central Asia Project Briefing (PDF, 4 Pages, 898.0 kB)


Healthcare for remote regions: an SDC project in Kyrgyzstan sets the standard Central Asia Project Briefing (PDF, 4 Pages, 809.4 kB)

Article on family doctors in Bosnia and Herzegovina (PDF, 1 Page, 54.7 kB, German)


Lessons learned from evaluations on community participation and civil society involvement in health (PDF, 291.8 kB, English)

Current projects

Object 1 – 12 of 1057

E-Governance for Accountability and Participation (EGAP), Phase 3

01.10.2024 - 30.09.2028

Digital transformation of Ukraine’s public administration significantly contributed to its resilience in the critical war conditions. Switzerland will consolidate its support to Ukraine in promoting innovative digital tools as amplifiers of democratic reforms in socially important sectors, catalysts of sustainable recovery and effective service provision to citizens and the private sector.


Moldova: Continuity of care in case of catastrophic health events – Care4Living

01.10.2024 - 30.09.2028

Switzerland will support Moldovan health authorities in reforming the emergency care system and in building rehabilitation services in order to ensure timely medical care in cases of medical and public health emergencies. The program will contribute to enhancing the chances to survival and recovery for patients who are at risk or have suffered catastrophic health events (stroke, heart attack, multiple trauma). The program will use the development of healthcare services as a vehicle to foster dialogue between Moldova and its breakaway region of Transnistria. 


Assistance en soutien psychosocial et protection intégrée pour les populations affectées par le conflit au Burkina Faso

30.09.2024 - 30.04.2026

Les populations déplacées internes au Burkina Faso, en particulier les femmes et les filles, sont exposées à des violations de leurs droits. Afin de contribuer à la protection de ces populations vulnérables, la Suisse soutient le projet de protection intégrée. Le projet vise à répondre à l’urgence et à appuyer les acteurs locaux (Etat, associations et communautés) dans la prise en charge des victimes et à réduire leur vulnérabilité en leur donnant des moyens de subvenir à leurs besoins.


Increasing Market Employability (IME)

01.09.2024 - 31.12.2026

North Macedonia’s economy is characterised by persistently slow growth rates as a result of low productivity due to outdated practices and scarce labour force due to high emigration. To address this, Switzerland, through its Increasing Market Employability project, supports small and medium-sized enterprises in sustainable agribusiness and tourism to become more competitive and environmentally sustainable by improving their products and services, while creating decent employment. The duration of the project is extended until 31.12.2026.


FAIRWAY - Interregional Programme to promote decent work for migrant workers from Africa to the Arab States

01.09.2024 - 31.05.2028

Decent work for low-income migrant workers in the Middle East is promoted, in sectors particularly prone to forced labor and exploitation, affecting increasingly African workers. Through improved services, access to justice and representation, migrant workers have their rights protected. Interregional and regional cooperation is promoted for improved labor migration governance and safe migration, thereby enhancing the development benefits for countries of origin and destination.


Women’s Economic Empowerment in the South Caucasus (WEE)

01.09.2024 - 31.08.2026

Switzerland has been successfully supporting women and their businesses in Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan since 2017. In this final phase of the project, Switzerland aims to institutionalize gender-related policies at national and local levels, build the capacities of the governmental and non-governmental partners to continue promoting women's empowerment and encourage the private sector to support more women in the formal economy.


Andean Regional Initiative on Adaptation to Climate Change (ARIACC)

01.09.2024 - 31.08.2027

ARIACC aims to increase the resilience of Andean Family Agriculture to climate change by improving the implementation of relevant policies, building capacity, leveraging investments, scaling innovative practices and promoting regional and global knowledge exchange. Close multisectoral collaboration will ensure the sustainability and scaling of the initiative. The project builds on longstanding SDC experience in the region and consolidates successful achievements of Phase 1 while sharing them globally.


Swiss Support to Arts Development in Zimbabwe (SSADZA)

01.09.2024 - 31.08.2028

Through the SSADZA initiative, Switzerland will support Zimbabwean artists to create new work, build networks, and engage audiences, enriching the arts landscape economically and socially. The programme will stimulate social change and enhance civil society by promoting the arts and culture as a catalyst for debate, social cohesion, peaceful co-existence and localisation. SSADZA will also participate in policy influencing with donors and government for increased financial support to the sector.


Tajikistan UNDRR - Strengthening Resilience to Disasters and Climate Change in Tajikistan (SRDCT)

01.09.2024 - 28.02.2026

Tajikistan is highly vulnerable to natural hazards and climate impacts, thus strengthening resilience needed as fundament for sustainable development. The intervention will contribute to (i) sustainable and effective mechanisms and instruments to improve risk governance through the national DRR platform,  (ii) improved risk knowledge through robust loss data collection and recording, and (iii) preparedness measures through support to multi-hazard Early Warning Systems and risk information.   


Enhanced Protection and Support to the Most Vulnerable Children, notably Refugee Children, in Lebanon

16.08.2024 - 15.08.2027

Children of all nationalities in Lebanon are affected by the country’s multifaceted crisis and collapse of public services. They face heightened risks of abuse, exploitation and violence, and of getting in contact or even in conflict with the law. Specific groups like refugee children are particularly at risk of seeing their rights violated. Through this project, NGOs and UNICEF will jointly enhance the protection of children from violence by providing them with crucial legal and protection services and by improving the child-friendliness of the justice system (nexus).


Public Service Improvement (PSI) in the Kyrgyz Republic

01.08.2024 - 31.07.2028

To improve people's quality of life, municipalities need to deliver efficiently and effectively services such as safe drinking water, waste collection, cultural facilities in a socially inclusive and gender responsive manner. In rural Kyrgyzstan, their capacities still need to be improved in a sustainable way. To achieve this, the project will develop the municipalities' support system which shall then provide adequate counseling and training to those municipalities today and in the long run.


Promoting efficient, affordable and clean cooling for everyone (PEACCE)

01.08.2024 - 31.07.2028

The Promoting Efficient, Affordable and Clean Cooling for Everyone (PEACCE) project contributes to mobilising global support and political will for scaling up sustainable cooling solutions in sub-Saharan Africa by supporting the Sustainable Cooling programme of the Sustainable Energy for All organisation. With its support, Switzerland aims to leverage its experience in passive cooling and nature-based cooling solutions both within sub-Saharan Africa and globally.

Object 1 – 12 of 1057