Global health
Scotland has a strong history of supporting health systems in our partner countries, with partnerships between universities, NHS staff and institutions, as well as support throughout the COVID crisis.
Health was identified as a thematic priority in 2021 through discussions with our African partner countries. It features in our International Strategy.
Our portfolio of programmes will support better health outcomes in Malawi, Zambia and Rwanda.
We are working with partner countries to achieve:
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UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 on good health and wellbeing
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UN SDG 5 on gender equality and
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UN SDG 17 on the mobilising partnerships and collaboration in pursuit of all UN SDGs
With our health portfolio, we aim to share our expertise and champion investment in alignment with partner country priorities, through three core strands:
- The Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) Programme
Globally, NCDs are the leading cause of death and disability, accounting for around 74% of all global deaths (with 3 in 4 of these deaths now in low and middle-income countries). Despite this, NCDs are widely reported to be the largest unmet need in health financing. Our NCD programme is made up of three components: a £2.5m funding partnership with the World Health Organisation, new infrastructure projects for Zambia (including on strengthening health systems) and Rwanda (including on palliative care), and a new multi-partner Health Services Joint Fund in Malawi.
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The Health Partnerships Programme (HPP):
Drawing on expertise and best practice from across NHS Scotland, HPP will create opportunities for exchanges of skills, experience and knowledge with an emphasis on bidirectional learning between health institutions in partner countries and Scotland. This initiative is due to begin implementation in early 2025 and builds on the success of the NHS Scotland Global Citizenship Programme.
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The partnership with Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS)
Continuing our 15-year partnership and the priorities of the Government of Malawi, which has already led to the establishment of the first dental school in the country, establishment of a clinical research facility focused on NCDs in Blantyre and the recent development of a further research lab in Zambia. Ongoing funding will help support research advancements for Africans, by Africans, in Africa, as a key example of our commitment to power equalisation.