Insights
Short, plain-language notes from our work on health policy, public finance, procurement, monitoring and evaluation, and programme delivery.
Community Engagement
Complaints boxes and suggestion registers are common, but few change programme decisions. Here is how to build feedback systems that communities trust and managers act on.
17 October 2026 · 3 min read
Procurement
Stock-outs and expiries often begin with a weak forecast. Here is how health programmes can build quantification that reflects real demand, real data and real delivery constraints.
16 October 2026 · 3 min read
Gender
Gender analysis is often written into proposals and then forgotten. Here are practical steps to make gender-responsive design real, from the first assessment to routine monitoring.
15 October 2026 · 3 min read
Inclusion
People with disabilities often meet barriers at every step of a health visit. Here are practical, low-cost steps facility managers can take to make services accessible and respectful.
14 October 2026 · 3 min read
Health Insurance
Expanding a publicly funded health coverage scheme is easier to announce than to deliver. Six design questions help planners test whether a scheme will reach people and stay affordable.
13 October 2026 · 3 min read
Quality of Care
Supervision visits often check registers and stock, then leave nothing behind. Here is how district health teams can turn routine visits into steady improvements in quality of care.
12 October 2026 · 4 min read
WASH
Floods and heatwaves test health facilities at the moment they are needed most. A practical checklist for assessing water, sanitation, power and upkeep before the next shock.
11 October 2026 · 4 min read
Nutrition
Nutrition plans often span many departments yet belong to none. Six common pitfalls explain why they stall, and each has a practical fix.
10 October 2026 · 4 min read
Health Workforce
Sanctioned posts rarely reflect where patients are or what services they need. A practical approach to planning a health workforce around workload, skills and retention.
9 October 2026 · 4 min read
Immunisation
Children who miss every routine vaccine are rarely missing at random. A practical guide to finding them, understanding why they were missed and planning services that reach them.
8 October 2026 · 4 min read
Localisation
Everyone in development supports locally led solutions. What it takes for a consultancy to practise localisation, from staffing to decision rights to inclusion.
29 September 2026 · 2 min read
Digital health
Digital tools and AI can make health systems faster and more transparent, but only on top of solid data and governance. A grounded look at what works.
15 September 2026 · 2 min read
Global health security
Plans are in place; the harder part is execution. A practical sequence for turning health security and antimicrobial resistance plans into budgets, owners and results.
1 September 2026 · 2 min read
PPP
In many countries the private sector delivers a large share of care. How to structure partnerships that improve access and quality without losing public accountability.
18 August 2026 · 2 min read
MEL
Too many indicators, late reports and data nobody uses. How to design monitoring, evaluation and learning around the decisions it needs to inform.
4 August 2026 · 2 min read
Compliance
Every funder has its own frameworks. How to build programme systems once and satisfy many partners, without drowning teams in reporting.
21 July 2026 · 2 min read
Procurement
Stock-outs, delays and overpricing are rarely just logistics. How stronger procurement systems protect both budgets and patients.
7 July 2026 · 2 min read
Public finance
Headline allocations tell you little. Five questions that turn a budget document into an honest picture of what a health system can actually do.
23 June 2026 · 2 min read
Policy
Since the 18th Amendment, provinces lead health service delivery. What turns a provincial health sector strategy into a living document rather than a shelf report.
9 June 2026 · 2 min read
Planning
A PC-1 gets a project approved; operational planning gets it delivered. Practical checks that close the gap between a good document and a working programme.
26 May 2026 · 2 min read
Health systems
Money matters, but UHC stalls where institutions, accountability and coordination are weak. Four governance questions to ask before designing any coverage reform.
12 May 2026 · 2 min read
Hospital management
Giving hospitals more managerial and financial freedom is a popular reform. What the approach can achieve, what it requires, and where it falls short.
8 May 2026 · 2 min read
Communication
Awareness is not the same as action. How to design communication that actually changes health behaviour, and how to know whether it worked.
5 May 2026 · 2 min read
Capacity development
Training alone seldom changes how institutions work. A more reliable approach to building skills that last, from needs assessment to follow-up.
28 April 2026 · 2 min read
Knowledge translation
Good research is wasted if decision-makers never absorb it. Principles for turning findings into short, usable policy briefs.
14 April 2026 · 2 min read
Research
Large surveys can shape national policy, but only if the design is sound and the fieldwork disciplined. What separates a credible survey from an expensive one.
31 March 2026 · 2 min read
Data quality
Bad data quietly distorts decisions. Five practical checks for completeness, timeliness, consistency, accuracy and use.
17 March 2026 · 2 min read
Maternal health
Most maternal and newborn deaths are preventable. A look at the service delivery elements that matter most, from antenatal care to emergency referral.
3 March 2026 · 2 min read
Health sector reform
Reform stalls when nobody owns it. How dedicated health sector reform units can coordinate change, and the traps that undermine them.
17 February 2026 · 2 min read
Primary health care
Strong primary care is the most reliable route to universal coverage. What it takes to make it work in practice, from the community upwards.
3 February 2026 · 2 min read
Health financing
How a government pays providers shapes what it gets. A practical look at moving from paying for inputs towards paying for services, quality and outcomes.
20 January 2026 · 2 min read
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