Scaling Up Quality Services to Improve Health and Nutrition in Lao PDR
Photo: Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash.
Health is the foundation of our lives. Maintaining and improving our health involves many things, from consuming proper nutrition to accessing quality healthcare. Unfortunately, many countries still struggle with food insecurity and uneven healthcare service distribution, including Lao PDR. Hence, addressing the issues of health and nutrition in Lao PDR is crucial.
Health and Nutrition in Lao PDR
In Lao PDR, malnutrition remains one of the most pressing issues affecting children’s growth. The latest data from the Global Nutrition Report stated that 33.1% of children under five years old still suffer from stunting, higher than the average for the Asia region (21.8%). Additionally, 9% suffer from wasting, while 3.5% are overweight.
The issues of health and nutrition in Lao PDR are the result of multifaceted and multisectoral factors. An analysis by the World Bank found that some leading causes include poor-quality diet, improper feeding practices, and intergenerational inequalities, including socio-economic and educational backgrounds. For instance, the analysis stated that children who are born to women under 17 years old are 10% more likely to suffer from stunting.
Furthermore, the country struggles with inadequate skills in the healthcare systems. In 2016, although around 67% of health workers had not received training on nutrition, 87% of them had already provided these services. Therefore, tackling these issues requires a multisectoral intervention.
The HANSA2 Project
In February 2024, the World Bank approved Phase 2 of the Health and Nutrition Services Access Project (HANSA2) for scaling up quality services to improve health and nutrition in Lao PDR. The project received funding from the World Bank, the Government of Australia, the Global Fund, and the Global Vaccine Alliance.
HANSA2 will deploy 62 million USD of financing to bridge the gap in healthcare service access for women and children from ethnic groups and other rural communities. The services include assisting district health workers with the skills to address poor diets and feeding practices, adolescent pregnancies, and vaccination.
“HANSA2 will make concerted efforts not only to ensure midwives are easier to find, but also work with rural villagers to help them understand where and how to access health services, and why they are so important,” said Megan Jones, Australian Ambassador to the Lao PDR.
The project will also scale up several activities implemented during Phase 1 in the four northern provinces of Lao PDR, including enhancing district information systems and improving payment systems. It will also expand services to family planning, water, and sanitation.
A Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration Required
HANSA2 will collaborate with the Ministry of Health and other World Bank projects to address the issues of health and nutrition in Lao PDR. This underscores the urgency for multi-stakeholder participation and collaboration in tackling one of the country’s most pressing issues.
Mark Edington, Head of Grant Management, Global Fund, said, “The HANSA partnership of government, development agencies, and civil society organizations provides a solid platform to jointly support more efficient, effective, and sustainable financing for health programs.”
Editor: Nazalea Kusuma
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Kresentia Madina
Madina is the Assistant Manager of Stakeholder Engagement at Green Network Asia. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English Studies from Universitas Indonesia. As part of the GNA In-House Team, she supports the organization's multi-stakeholder engagement across international organizations, governments, businesses, civil society, and grassroots communities through digital publications, events, capacity building, and research.
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