Implementation Research Platform

Despite the existence of proven solutions and increased support at national and international levels, progress in improving maternal and child health and addressing HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria has been unacceptably slow. 

More than 350,000 women die each year from complications related to pregnancy and child birth, even though proven interventions to prevent these deaths are available.  Approximately 7.6 million under-five children, including 3.1 million newborns, die each year from diseases that are preventable or treatable with existing interventions.  The majority of these deaths occur within the most disadvantaged populations in the poorest countries of the world: Asia and sub-Saharan Africa account for 75% of all maternal deaths and under-five child deaths.

Research in maternal, newborn, and child health and neglected infectious diseases has significantly advanced in recent years with focus mostly on the development of new interventions, rather than optimizing the delivery of existing interventions.  There is a need for implementation research that seeks to optimize the delivery of existing interventions and also explores the challenges that are faced when generalizing research findings 'in the real world'. The effectiveness and impact of current health expenditure, both within countries and through international donors, could be greatly enhanced if it: (i) was informed and assisted by implementation research and well-designed monitoring and evaluation in advance of, concomitant with, and after programmatic implementation; (ii) was undertaken with the wider goals, policies, strategies, needs and opportunities of the entire health system in mind; and (iii) was more country-led.