Local and Sub-National Governments

Characteristics and Strengths

• They are often led by locally elected political leaders and are motivated to demonstrate health impacts for continued political support
• Tend to be more accountable to local communities
• Have a thorough understanding of the local context and health needs of local communities
• They often have the legal and administrative mandate to set local health priorities, plan, allocate and mobilize resources, and deliver primary health care to their respective communities
• They are guided by national health strategy and community health strategy
• They are responsible for managing CHWs
• They are often motivated to adopt digital health technologies
• May have deployed, or are planning to deploy, digital health tools in the community health space
• Comparatively, they have less cumbersome bureaucratic processes and red-tape in building partnerships

Values

• Health and well-being of their citizens
• Equitable access to quality health care services
• Social health protection of their constituencies
• Local leadership and decentralization in health
• Innovation and digital technologies in community health space
• High impact door-step health care
• Community participation
• Partnerships with non-state actors
• Cost-effectiveness
• Sustainability

Needs

• Health systems strengthening support to keep up with growing population needs and tackle emerging public health challenges, e.g. NCDs
• Better institutional capacities to manage community health programs
• Regular guidance, coordination and support from the state/provincial and national governments
• Better data systems for evidence-based planning and monitoring
• Technical partnership and support to manage digital health technologies