Health- Within the Health area, our portfolio includes:

• Health Systems Strengthening-One of the main challenges faced by governments and development partners in expanding services that will improve maternal and child health and reduce the burden of infectious and non-communicable diseases is the is the lack of an inadequate health system. Our current work in this area focuses on documenting innovations in health service delivery and finding ways to improve the “stewardship” function of the government in overseeing both public and private activities in health [Projects][Products].
• Harnessing the Private Sector -Throughout the developing world, private non-state actors (NGOs, faith-based institutions, and for profit organizations) play a significant role in the provision and financing of health services for the poor. R4D helps countries and donors gather and analyze information on these private non-state actors, and design and implement policies that harness the potential of these actors while mitigating the risks [Projects][Products].
• Human Resources for Health (HRH)- Health workers play a critical role in delivering health care and represent the single largest cost element in health services in low income countries. Millions of people die prematurely, or suffer from illness or disability unnecessarily, due to an insufficient number of human resources for health. R4D works with Ministries of Health and Education to evaluate employment and training policies for HRH and their impact on costs and financing [Projects][Products].
• Health Financing - In developing countries, funding for health is highly constrained and often channeled in a short-term and unpredictable fashion. Families have relatively little protection against the financial costs imposed by ill-health, and foreign aid programs in the sector, however well-intentioned, are often inadequately coordinated and aligned with local priorities. R4D works with its partners to design and evaluate better policies for financing health product development and health services, including risk pooling (insurance) [Projects][Products].
• Health Technology Research and Development - Innovations in health technologies have greatly reduced the burden of infectious disease around the world. Creating these health products however requires extremely difficult long-term scientific efforts, and the return on investment on these products is uncertain, especially in developing countries. R4D is identifying innovative approaches to financing global health R&D that reduce barriers and risk in the development of new health technologies for use in low and middle income countries [Projects][Products].
• AIDS - Since the reporting of the first cases of AIDS in 1981, the pandemic has imposed a huge economic and social cost on many countries, communities and households around the world. The resources needed to pay for the response to AIDS have grown to tens of billions of dollars. R4D is modeling and analyzing the long term costs and financing options for AIDS over the next two decades, and is examining how major policy shifts now can improve future expenditures and financing [Projects][Products].