Utilizing Principles of Private Enterprise to Improve Maternal and Child Health Programs

Abstract

High quality maternal and child health (MCH) programs are needed to meet the global Sustainable Development Goals 1, 2, 3, and 10. Yet, the vast majority of MCH programs are small, lack capacity and personnel, and are judged based on their relationships with funders, rather than their performance in the field. Adopting principles common among private enterprise could have a significant impact on shifting MCH to focus on implementing larger, higher quality programs and to routinely evaluate MCH as meeting/ not meeting their primary mission. For example, focusing on recruiting personnel who have excellent social skills and are pragmatic problem-solvers reflects a principle of Hire the Best Staff. Similar principles such as Leadership Matters and Create a Culture of Discipline are guideposts that can improve the quality of MCH programs over time. This commentary outlines criteria which could both guide MCH organizational development and funders’ evaluations of MCH.

Copyright © 2020 Rotheram-Borus and Tomlinson. Published by Global Health and Education Projects, Inc. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0.