Scale-up for Success

If countries want to reach their ambitious Sustainable Development Goals targets, they need to be systematic in identifying solutions with the most potential for high impact to prioritize in their national plans. Some of these high-impact solutions, like comprehensive emergency obstetric care, will already be part of most countries’ routine care, but will be in need of improvements in quality or targeting. However, not all proven, cost-effective solutions – such as chlorhexidine for newborn sepsis prevention and integrated community case management of child illness – are currently part of routine health care practice in many countries. Scale-up is the process of bringing such newer but proven interventions and strategies to more people on a sustained basis.

When governments recognize an intervention can improve the population’s health and achieve significant impact, decision-makers decide to #ScaleForSuccess.

Countries can begin this process by including these newer, proven interventions in their plans, ensuring that policies are in place to support their implementation, and seeking initial financing. To make solid progress toward widespread and sustained impact, countries will also need to make a multi-year commitment to a systematic but flexible process that can successfully respond to ongoing challenges. This requires leadership, partnership, and solid management at local, district and national levels. Those leaders need timely information for a process of learning and adaptation, and strategies for ongoing resource mobilization. This is neither quick nor easy, but those who engage in such a systematic process will be rewarded with sustained and significant improvements in the health of their populations.