Addressing Inequities in RMNCH Service Coverage

MCSP is a $560 million, 5-year cooperative agreement funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to introduce and support the scale-up of high-impact RMNCH health interventions among underserved populations. MCSP's approach to addressing inequities is centered on the concept of health equity, which involves improving the health outcomes of disadvantaged groups and narrowing the difference in health outcomes between advantaged and disadvantaged groups. To achieve this, MCSP prioritizes pro-equity approaches, incorporates pro-equity designs, monitors outcomes using feasible and valid measurements, and adjusts programs based on these findings. MCSP has identified and supported governments to implement and scale up promising pro-equity interventions that are likely to reach the underserved by shifting services to the community level and/or relying on delivery by workers with less formal training. These interventions include the Reaching Every District/Reaching Every Community (RED/REC) approach, which is a management approach aimed at improving immunization services, maximizing the use of available resources, and guaranteeing sustainable and equitable immunization coverage for every eligible person. MCSP has supported country governments in 11 countries to increase equitable immunization coverage while exploring adaptation of the RED/REC to child health, maternal health, and nutrition in four other MCSP-supported countries. Additionally, MCSP has incorporated equity awareness into program measurement and monitoring through the provision of data on the economic status and demographic characteristics of beneficiaries across a range of activities to inform and improve future targeting of the underserved. MCSP has also worked to improve the coverage and quality of community-based services while integrating community-based platforms into national strategies, reaching underserved communities in multiple countries. The program has achieved significant scale-up of pro-equity interventions, including the RED/REC approach, and has provided global thought leadership and country-level support on gender-based inequities that affect health. MCSP's definition of equity emphasizes the importance of improving the health outcomes of disadvantaged groups and narrowing the difference in health outcomes between advantaged and disadvantaged groups. The program's approach to addressing inequities is centered on the concept of health equity and involves prioritizing pro-equity approaches, incorporating pro-equity designs, monitoring outcomes, and adjusting programs based on these findings. The program has supported the implementation and scale-up of promising pro-equity interventions, including the RED/REC approach, which has been adapted to child health, maternal health, and nutrition in several countries. MCSP has also worked to improve the coverage and quality of community-based services while integrating community-based platforms into national strategies, reaching underserved communities in multiple countries. MCSP's program achievements have been significant, with the program supporting country governments in 11 countries to increase equitable immunization coverage while exploring adaptation of the RED/REC to child health, maternal health, and nutrition in four other MCSP-supported countries. The program has also provided global thought leadership and country-level support on gender-based inequities that affect health. Overall, MCSP's approach to addressing inequities in RMNCH service coverage is centered on the concept of health equity and involves prioritizing pro-equity approaches, incorporating pro-equity designs, monitoring outcomes, and adjusting programs based on these findings. The program has achieved significant scale-up of pro-equity interventions and has provided global thought leadership and country-level support on gender-based inequities that affect health.