Improving Health and Human Capital in Bangladesh .

Bangladesh made remarkable improvement in population health outcomes, reducing maternal, infant, and under-five mortality rates. Despite these achievements, however, the health system in Bangladesh struggles to provide quality, affordable health services to its population, particularly the poor. Since 1997, Smiling Sun Clinics — the world’s largest NGO network of maternal and child health clinics — has played an important role in advancing the Bangladeshi government’s commitment to universal health coverage. The challenge was turning this collection of key players in Bangladesh’s health sector into a self-sustaining enterprise. Through the USAID Advancing Universal Health Coverage (AUHC) Activity, these Smiling Sun Clinics transformed into the Surjer Hashi Network, a centrally managed, private social enterprise that continues providing millions of people with high-quality, affordable care. To guide the Surjer Hashi Network on the path toward sustainability, AUHC introduced innovative business and operational models, created research-based health service packages for the poor, and experimented with new health service delivery channels. AUHC also supported efforts to improve healthcare access through partnerships with Green Hill Clinics based in the mountainous areas of the Chittagong Region. Having developed a robust research agenda, AUHC monitored the impact of new systems and processes on advancing universal health coverage.