MALARIA: Rwanda success

Just over five years ago, malaria was Rwanda's number one killer. But working closely with international donors and partners, Rwanda's National Malaria Control Program put together a multifaceted approach that, in a mere 18 months, cut the number of malaria deaths across the country by more than half. The project's two main tools - long-lasting insecticide-treated nets and WHO-recommended anti-malarial drugs - did not differ significantly from approaches used in other malaria-endemic countries. What did differ was the strong leadership of the Rwandan government that paved the way for success. For me, it is the overall thrust of that too rare effort - rather than the details - that can provide lessons for development aid beyond public health. Three years ago, Rwanda intensely scaled up its malaria interventions by aligning international partners to its aggressive, comprehensive and country-specific national strategy. In effect, they threw the most effective malaria interventions available at the disease and reshaped the government's health care and financing focus to achieve superior results.
With new resources from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Rwanda initiated an aggressive campaign and managed to deliver an unprecedented number of mosquito nets to vulnerable communities across the country. But they knew that prevention was only part of their very specific battle against malaria, so Rwandan leaders worked to strengthen their health care system through innovative financing strategies and increased access to the most effective malaria treatment drugs where they were needed most: in the community. Ultimately, what allowed for the success of these strategies was the collaboration of partners fostered by the local leadership - a host of international and national NGOs including PSI, United Nations agencies, and funders such as the U.S. President's Malaria Initiative and the Global Fund. While the partners provided resources and expertise, Rwandan leadership ensured efficient use of funds.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karl-hofmann/lessons-from-africa-the-l_b_573226.html