Clinton Health Access Initiative

11/19/2025

🎉 Historic moment for HIV prevention! Eswatini and Zambia are the first countries in sub-Saharan Africa to roll out lenacapavir—a twice-yearly injectable PrEP that could be a game-changer.

Each country received 500 starter packs this month, with official receiving ceremonies held on Nov. 7 for Zambia and Nov. 18 for Eswatini. The first doses for both countries will be administered on World AIDS Day. For people who struggled with daily pills, a twice-yearly injection could be transformative.

While the lower-cost generic won't be available until 2027, this early adoption is already generating the critical implementation lessons needed for rapid scale-up across the region and showing equity is possible in global public health interventions.

This is what progress looks like. 🚀

More: https://ow.ly/QkRB50Xu5Iy

Unitaid NPR

The drug lenacapavir will be distributed to Eswatini and Zambia — the first step toward providing at least 2 million doses to the countries with the highest HIV burden, largely in Africa, by 2028.

11/19/2025

Please join us in celebrating this month’s featured team member, Briony Pasipanodya.

Briony brings over a decade of experience in health financing and policy, working across Africa to strengthen health systems and expand access to essential services. Since joining CHAI, she’s supported HIV programs and now leads efforts in health financing—partnering closely with governments to tackle complex challenges with creativity and evidence-based solutions.

Three words that describe her? Curious, collaborative, and resilient. Her dream day? Exploring a new city with no agenda, just a camera and curiosity.

👉 Read more about Briony’s journey: https://ow.ly/3jw350Xe9LC

11/18/2025

Today kicks off the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) Conference in Copenhagen, and we're proud to be part of the conversation.

Our VP of Child Health Zach Katz will be speaking at the Child Pneumonia Working Group session, sharing how CHAI is expanding access to pulse oximetry and oxygen across 15+ countries—with a focus on reaching the children who need it most.

From making SpO2 a routine vital sign to supporting sustainable oxygen programs, we're committed to closing the gap in pneumonia care. With 610,000 child pneumonia deaths in 2023 alone, the urgency couldn't be clearer.

To join virtually, just click - https://ow.ly/Xc3o50XqxqN

11/17/2025

Today is International Cervical Cancer Elimination Day—and we want to introduce you to Stelia.

For years, Stelia wanted to get screened for cervical cancer. But she lives in a remote village in Malawi and the nearest hospital was hours away—too far and too expensive for the 30-year-old mother to reach.

Then in May 2024, a community health worker came to her village carrying something that would change her life: HPV self-sampling kits.

The health worker gathered local women and explained how they could screen themselves for cervical cancer privately and safely, right in their own community. Stelia decided to try.

She tested positive for HPV. She went to a local health center for follow-up care, where medical staff found precancerous lesions—abnormal cells that, if left untreated, would have developed into invasive cancer.

Stelia received treatment that same day.

"I had been waiting for this service for years," she said. "Now I know I did the right thing—there was no discomfort from the self-sampling to treatment."

Within weeks, she recovered. Today, she tells other women in her village: "People used to say screening was dangerous. Now I tell them it's the best thing I ever did for myself."

Stelia's story isn't unique. The largest community-based cervical cancer screening study in Africa—which screened more than 14,600 women across five countries—just confirmed that when you bring screening to women through trusted community health workers, they use it. And they complete follow-up care.

With support from Unitaid, the Clinton Health Access Initiative is now helping countries across Africa scale this proven model, making life-saving cervical cancer screening accessible to women in even the most remote settings.

Because every woman deserves access to care—no matter where she lives.

Read Stelia's full story: https://ow.ly/o9Au50XsVzA

World Health Organization (WHO), Ministry Of Health - Malawi

Meet Stelia, whose story shows how community-based HPV self-testing is bringing cervical cancer screening to remote African villages.

11/14/2025

At 82 years old, Mr. Mom Lim received his first health screening today in Kampot province, Cambodia—part of expanded community-level screening efforts by local authorities, health staff, and community health workers.

The Australian Ambassador to Cambodia joined the screening event and got tested for diabetes himself, setting a great example for the community.

This work is supported by the RESist NCD consortium (led by The George Institute for Global Health and funded by the Australian Government) and EXPAND (Vision Catalyst Fund). It's one example of CHAI's growing global work supporting governments to better serve people at risk of or living with diabetes.

Novartis

11/14/2025

Over 800 million adults live with diabetes globally. An estimated 95 million people need insulin—whether to survive or to control the disease. Yet in low- and middle-income countries, only 36% of people who need insulin can access it.

CHAI’s new Insulin Market Memo reveals that while the number of people receiving insulin treatment in LMICs is projected to more than double by 2035, this growth is geographically concentrated. South and East Asia will account for 70% of all new patients, while Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, and Latin America combined will contribute just 30%.

The challenges are complex:
➡️ Insulin access is splitting along income lines: Human insulin delivered in vials remains the foundation of treatment in lower-income countries due its affordability and availability. Meanwhile, newer analog insulins delivered via pens are rapidly expanding in urban, wealthier markets. Without deliberate intervention, this divide could harden into two permanent parallel systems, offering different standards of care based on geography and income rather than clinical need.
➡️ As GLP-1 therapies reduce insulin demand in wealthier markets, there’s a risk that the narrative will shift to “insulin need is declining”, obscuring the reality that the poorest populations still cannot access even basic insulin supply.

The bottom line? Growth won’t equal access without deliberate action. We must safeguard insulin as a public good.

Read the full analysis and explore the data: https://ow.ly/GRof50XqCM9

11/12/2025

Today is World Pneumonia Day ❤️

Five years ago, in Kano, Nigeria, a 4-year-old boy with pneumonia fought for breath. The oxygen concentrator beside his bed? Broken—pumping nothing but air for 2 days.

This is why our oxygen work matters.

Pneumonia kills more children under 5 than any other infectious disease. But with proper oxygen therapy, most deaths are preventable.

Our work started with children gasping for breath. But we have made it our priority to develop a fix—both in Kano State, where CHAI colleagues first met that 4-year-old, and across hospitals and clinics in 20 other countries.

Working with governments, donors, and partners, together, we've transformed the ecosystem:
We've scaled infrastructure across 9 countries—from 120 to 613 PSA oxygen systems and 13 to 184 bulk oxygen tanks.

We've improved access—97% of hypoxemic patients in program facilities now receive oxygen, up from 83%.

We've built sustainable capacity—3,400+ health workers trained, 400+ technicians trained, maintenance rates up from 53% to 87%.

We've transformed markets—with regional manufacturing set to increase oxygen production by 300% across six East African countries.

Despite COVID. Despite funding freezes. The ecosystem keeps growing.

Why? We're building permanent infrastructure: local production, trained teams, market competition, regional coordination.

No child should die from pneumonia when oxygen can save them.

Today we celebrate progress. Tomorrow we continue the work. 💙

11/11/2025

Pneumonia continues to be a leading cause of death among children under five. Many of these deaths occur because children develop dangerously low oxygen levels—hypoxemia—which is hard to spot without a pulse oximeter. Catching hypoxemia early and providing oxygen treatment saves lives.

The challenge? Making oxygen monitoring as routine as checking temperature or blood pressure.

Since 2022, the governments of Chhattisgarh, Punjab, and Madhya Pradesh have been strengthening their medical oxygen systems to ensure quality care for patients with severe respiratory infections. With technical support from WJCF, CHAI's India affiliate, they've built sustainable capacity: over 8,500 healthcare workers trained on oxygen therapy and equipment use, and more than 900 health facilities with streamlined oxygen infrastructure and maintenance systems.

This year marks a critical milestone: Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh have designated oxygen as the fifth vital sign.

What does this mean in practice? Every patient gets their oxygen levels checked and recorded using pulse oximeters. Health workers can respond faster to prevent complications, especially among newborns, mothers, and young children. What was once an overlooked intervention is now standard care.

This is ecosystem transformation—a government-led policy change that makes lifesaving care routine rather than exceptional.

Ahead of World Pneumonia Day, we celebrate these state-led efforts to build resilient health systems and protect every child's right to breathe, survive, and thrive.

11/10/2025

From one country to an entire region. 🌍

Last week we shared how Lesotho broke an oxygen monopoly and cut costs by 67%. Now imagine that success serving an entire region.

In October 2024, CHAI and Unitaid aid launched the East African Program on Oxygen Access—Africa's first regional manufacturing approach to medical oxygen.

Working with three manufacturers in Kenya and Tanzania, alongside governments, PATH, and MedAccess, the program is establishing liquid oxygen production facilities in Mombasa, Nairobi, and Dar es Salaam. These facilities won't just serve their home countries—they'll supply Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda, and Zambia.

The goals:
📈 300% production increase
📉 Up to 27% price reduction
❤️ 154,000 lives saved over 10 years

This isn’t emergency aid—it’s permanent infrastructure. Using blended financing, we’re strengthening local manufacturers and creating lasting market competition.

When COVID-19 hit, it exposed critical oxygen shortages. The response was massive equipment investment—but equipment alone isn't enough.

Regional manufacturing creates sustainable supply that doesn’t depend on perpetual external support. This is ecosystem transformation at regional scale.

As World Pneumonia Day approaches, this is a reminder that building these systems saves millions of lives.

Learn more: https://ow.ly/et5e50Xpxga

11/07/2025

For years, Lesotho relied entirely on oxygen imports from South Africa—a monopoly that meant vulnerable supply chains and prohibitive pricing made it difficult for the government to sustain access to patients.

Under the EpiC project, funded by the U.S. government, and with support from Unitaid, CHAI assisted the Lesotho government to invest in oxygen production infrastructure.

These investments reshaped the entire medical oxygen market.
• A new supplier entered
• Competition emerged
• The monopoly broke

The result: 67% reduction in the purchase price of liquid oxygen per ton.

This is what ecosystem transformation looks like—permanent changes to market structures that don't depend on perpetual external funding.

As we approach World Pneumonia Day, we're sharing stories of how building sustainable systems save lives. 💙

FHI 360

10/23/2025

🎉 Please join us in celebrating one of our incredible team members this month.

Ritubhan Gautam’s journey from engineering to public health reflects a deep-rooted passion for impact. After supporting Punjab’s hepatitis program with CHAI India, he pursued an MPA at Columbia—and returned to CHAI to help shape global health markets.

Whether he’s analyzing market data or aligning global strategies, Ritubhan brings passion and precision to every challenge. And when it’s time to unwind? Chicken curry with rice is his go-to 🍛

👉 Read the full spotlight: https://ow.ly/QyfW50Xcwkc

10/21/2025

A first for Nigeria — and a milestone for global health.

The first Nigerian patient is enrolling today in a pioneering demonstration project providing unprecedented access to nivolumab in the country, an immunotherapy drug widely available in the US for metastatic colorectal cancer— a disease responsible for nearly 6,000 deaths annually in Nigeria and 6.4% of all cancers in the country.

The Innovative Cancer Medicines (ICM) initiative is working with the National Hospital Abuja and the government of Nigeria to launch the project.

This partnership shows what’s possible when global health equity becomes a shared mission.

Read more: https://ow.ly/VRtY50XfAme


Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy Bristol Myers Squibb Roche

ABUJA, NIGERIA, October 21, 2025: Today, the Innovative Cancer Medicines (ICM) initiative announced the enrollment of the first Nigerian patient in a pioneering demonstration project to provide an immunotherapy drug used to treat cancer. The goal of the initiative is to develop an approach that expl...