HIGHLIGHTS
- Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s global health programs relies on expert advices.
- Abt Global, through the Specialist Health Service, provides extensive support.
- Our goal is to build sustainable health institutions and engage private health actors.
The Challenge
The Australian government delivers a wide range of development programs working to improve the health of countries around the region. But the answers to difficult questions, such as “How can we identify new infectious diseases such as animal-to-human influenza?” and “How best can already weak health systems be strengthened to meet the needs of rapid urbanization?” aren’t always at hand.
The Approach
The Specialist Health Service (SHS) provides high quality technical advice to the Australian government, contributing to Australia’s health policy, strategic planning and health programming work on a global scale.
SHS provides everything from short-term requests for health technical advice to support the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (DFAT) work in all aspects of the aid management cycle to technical and economic appraisals, design, and review.
Abt Global, as managing contractor of SHS, convenes the panel of technical experts and guides, manages and assures the advice provided and prepares reviews and technical inputs to help governments identify, analyze and solve health sector challenges.
The Results
Abt's aim is to move beyond the traditional health and aid concepts, with innovative thinking and advice on leveraging investments, building sustainable health institutions and engaging private health actors.