“Working together for a healthier future”

The Millennium Challenge Corporation recognizes the importance of investing in health to foster successful human and economic development.  Two MCC indicators focus on a country’s efforts to provide quality public health care to its citizens:

The Total Public Expenditure on Health indicator measures the government’s commitment to investing in the health and well-being of its people.

The Immunization Rate indicator measures a government’s commitment to providing essential public health services and reducing child mortality.

Read extended summaries on all of MCC’s indicators.

MCC supports countries in the fight against HIV/AIDS

MCC partner countries are responsible for identifying the greatest barriers to their own development and some have recognized the need to fight HIV/AIDS, treat its effects or improve general health as part of their national development strategy. MCC supports these goals through several different types of programs:

Lesotho

The approximately  US$123 million Health Sector Project that is a part of the MCC compact with Lesotho is aimed at strengthening the delivery of essential health services to address HIV/AIDS and other diseases by improving the country’s health care infrastructure and human resources for health capacity. MCC funding is designed to support Lesotho’s efforts to significantly increase access to anti-retroviral therapy (“ART”) by providing a sustainable delivery platform for these life-extending medicines and other essential health services throughout the country. Project efforts are closely coordinated with HIV/AIDS activities funded through the US Government’s President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

The Health Sector Project is designed to support treatment for HIV/AIDS and benefit the people of Lesotho through:

• the establishment of ART clinics in and improved management of up to 14 hospital out-patient departments;
• the renovation of up to 150 health centers to meet uniform service standards;
• the construction of a dedicated, central facility for collecting and processing blood and the provision of mobile blood collection and storage equipment;
• an increase in the number of dormitories and staff residences at Lesotho’s National Health Training College;
• the construction and equipping of a new central laboratory and training for laboratory staff;
• the strengthening of health systems through increased capacity for pre-service and in-service nurse training and improved district-level public health human resources management; and
• improved occupational health and safety and medical waste management practices.

The Health Sector Project, which represents a third of the total MCC compact funding in Lesotho, has the potential to help people with HIV/AIDS and other debilitating diseases live longer and improve their quality of life. In turn, they will be able to more productively contribute to Lesotho’s economic growth and poverty reduction.

HIV/AIDS Awareness Programs

Contractors engaged in building MCC compact-funded civil works projects are often required to carry out HIV/AIDS awareness efforts for their workers and local communities. For example, MCA-Cape Verde worked with the Cape Verde National Committee to Fight HIV/AIDS to develop an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign that the contractors responsible for building roads, bridges, and the port must implement during construction.  The construction workers and local community members have access to informational sessions, free and voluntary HIV/AIDs testing, and follow-up counseling.

These program requirements are a common component of civil works contracts in MCC compact countries, especially for construction/road activities in rural areas and in regions where the risk of increased transmission of HIV/AIDs or other sexually transmitted infections is high.  Migrant laborers and local residents in the impacted communities all benefit from these HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns.

Other Health-related Programs

In Threshold Country programs in Moldova and Kenya, MCC funding focuses on strengthening transparency and accountability in the health sector to reduce opportunities for corruption. Threshold programs in Indonesia and Peru are designed to help increase access to children’s immunization programs.

Other MCC investments—like those in El Salvador, Ghana, and Mozambique—are structured to support improved water and sanitation systems, which contribute to overall health improvements for people living in rural areas without access to clean water.

Finally, MCC will fund non-communicable disease and injury outreach, screening, and disease management through its recently-signed compact in Mongolia. To learn more about MCC’s health-related programs, visit the Health Activities webpage.

For more information on World AIDS Day, refer to the World AIDS Campaign or UNAIDS.