About the Collaborative – This activity has concluded

National priority setting is an essential step in countries’ strategic planning processes for health. It draws on analysis of the health needs of the population and the strengths and weaknesses of the country’s health system to determine the key objectives of the health sector for a given period. These nationally determined priorities should then feed through into subsequent decisions on planning and resource allocation. By institutionalizing explicit priority-setting processes for health that are transparent, inclusive, evidence-informed, equitable and accountable, countries can help ensure that health policies, strategies, and plans consistently align with national health and development goals such as UHC, and that scarce human, financial, and other resources are used in a way that is consistent with, and helps to achieve, these goals.

The learning exchange will bring together a group of country representatives with experience in working to institutionalize explicit priority setting as part of strategic planning for the health sector. This group will exchange experience and draw out lessons learned from their efforts. Participants will gain a greater understanding of the barriers and facilitators and the steps they can take to advance the institutionalization of such processes in their countries. exchange will enable participants to contribute to better allocation of resources to national priorities in their countries and to promote progress towards national goals. The learning exchange will capture promising practices in a resource that can be adapted and used by other countries seeking to institutionalize explicit national priority-setting for health.

Technical Facilitator: LHSS

The Local Health System Sustainability Project (LHSS) is USAID’s flagship initiative to better integrate health systems strengthening. Its goal is to help low- and middle-income countries transition to sustainable, self-financed health systems as a means to support access to universal health coverage.

​Participating Countries

Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Lao PDR, Lebanon, Malaysia, the Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, Thailand