“There is rumor about the COVID vaccine making people sick but when I took this vaccine, I never got sick, so I brought three of my friends today to take their vaccine.” – Local community member in West-Point, Liberia  

While the COVID-19 virus was confirmed to have reached Liberia in March 2020 as a part of the worldwide pandemic, challenges around COVID-19 vaccinations persist. For one, access to COVID-19 vaccines remains a challenge in certain regions; uptake is low in priority or at-risk groups (including seniors, pregnant women, health workers, and people with co-morbidity); and integration of the vaccine into the routine Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) system has still not occurred. Moreover, the private health sector, which includes more than 40 percent of the country’s caregivers, has had limited involvement in the efforts to increase COVID-19 vaccination uptake and integration. 

To address these challenges, USAID’s Frontier Health Markets (FHM) Engage is working with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and two local organizations, DKT International Liberia and the Healthcare Federation of Liberia, to increase COVID-19 vaccine access and service coverage by integrating the COVID-19 vaccine into routine immunization in private facilities. Specifically, FHM Engage collaborated with DKT using their social marketing approach of engaging community mobilizers who visited schools, slum communities, and street corners to raise awareness of the benefits of immunization and family planning (FP).

Collaborating with health facilities, county, and district health officers, FHM Engage catalyzed a 10-day outreach exercise to ensure vaccines, immunization supplies, and FP products were made available at health facilities, schools, and community sites. During this time, 118 persons were immunized with the COVID-19 vaccine, along with several others who received routine childhood vaccines. In addition, a variety of FP products were provided on request. The exercise also employed a referral system which registers eligible community members who were sensitized about the vaccine initiative during the event and also agreed to receive the services later. 714 community members were given referral cards and follow-up plans were made to ensure that these community members will receive immunization and FP services as eligibility allows. 

Banner image: A health worker speaks with patients at the Pipeline Community Health Center in Monrovia, Liberia, where they provide routine immunizations. Photo: UNMEER/Aalok Kanani. Accessed from USAID flickr.

FHM Engage uses a market development approach (MDA) to understand a country’s health market system. The MDA allows us to diagnose root causes of market under-performance, such as restricted supply of and consumer demand for health products and services. FHM Engage supports local public and private market actors to design locally informed strategies and solutions that improve market systems, including core functions of supply and demand and supporting functions that strengthen the enabling environment for market growth.

As a critical foundational step to the MDA, FHM Engage compiled detailed market descriptions in India, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan. Review them here:

INDIA

FHM Engage India Market Description 2023

FHM Engage India Market Description 2023 (Abridged)

Health Market Description Brief on Family Planning in India

KENYA

FHM Engage Kenya Market Description 2023

LIBERIA

FHM Engage Liberia Market Description 2023

FHM Engage Liberia Market Description 2023 (Abridged)

MADAGASCAR

In Madagascar, we completed three market descriptions: Family Planning; Maternal & Child Health; Nutrition

NEPAL

FHM Engage Nepal Market Descriptions 2023 

NIGERIA

In Nigeria, we compiled six market descriptions in the two states of Ebonyi and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT): Ebonyi Child Health; Ebonyi Family Planning; Ebonyi Maternal Newborn Health; FCT Child Health; FCT Family Planning; FCT Maternal Newborn Health

PAKISTAN

FHM Engage Pakistan Market Description 2023

Related Resources:

‘How-to’ Guidance: Executing the Diagnosis Phase of a Market Development Approach

MDA Overview Briefs:

What is the Market Development Approach (MDA) Process for Family Planning, and Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health? Brief #1 of 4 in a series on the MDA

What is the Market System Framework and Its Role in Developing Family Planning, and Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Markets? Brief #2 of 4 in a series on the MDA

What are Key Terms Used in a Market Development Approach for Health? Brief #3 of 4 in a series on the MDA

The Meaning and Importance of Stewardship in Developing Family Planning, and Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Markets. Brief #4 of 4 in a series on the MDA

MDA Course Curriculum:

Market Development Approach (MDA) 2023 course curriculum

Course brief #1: What is the market development approach process for family planning, and maternal, newborn, and child health?

Course brief #2: What is the market system framework and its role in developing family planning, and maternal, newborn, and child health markets

Course brief #3 What are key terms used in a market development approach for health?

Course brief #4: The meaning and importance of stewardship in developing family planning, and maternal, newborn, and child health markets

FHM Engage has received financial assistance from USAID/Liberia to support Liberia’s Ministry of Health’s response to a December 2023 fuel explosion in Totota, Bong County that impacted more than 250 people. FHM Engage is leading the health private sector response in coordination with the Healthcare Federation of Liberia (HFL) and the Association of Private Association of Importers. The financial support will be used to address medical supply and nutritional needs of the fire victims, who have been undergoing medical care at both public and private health facilities or at the community-level in Bong, Margibi, and Montserrado counties. The distribution of the medical supplies and food items began the week of March 18th. The intervention by FHM Engage, with direct support from USAID, is a demonstration of the project’s commitment to ensuring high-quality health products and services are available, especially in challenging times such as this one.

Related Stories:  

United States Donates Medical and Nutritional Supplies for Patients Recovering from the Totota Fuel Tanker Explosion  - U.S. Embassy in Liberia (usembassy.gov)

USAID Donates Medical, Nutritional Supplies for the Totota Explosion Victim

On March 28, 2024, FHM Engage hosted a webinar to answer: What is stewardship? Who “does” stewardship? Why is stewardship important in market development? How do we improve stewardship to strengthen health markets?

The technical showcase explored the concept of stewardship in the context of health market development. Speakers from Liberia, Madagascar, and Pakistan shared how FHM Engage used a market description approach (MDA) in these countries to landscape a full range of market actors and identify key stakeholders to play a stewardship role. Presenters explained how FHM Engage is strengthening the capacity of these market actors in different ways, through a variety of activities, to steward the health markets effectively in each country and improve market performance to ensure the delivery of safe, affordable, appropriate health products and services.

Moderator/Presenters:

• Dana Tilson, Project Director, Moderator
• Abena Amoakuh, USAID Opening Remarks
• Monte Achenbach, Technical Director
• Sophie Parwon, Chief of Party, Liberia
• Davy Robson, Product Specialist, Madagascar
• Laila Gardezi, Senior Technical Advisor, Pakistan

Related Resources:

Webinar slides

Webinar recording