Resilient and Sustainable Health and Community Systems

The Challenge

Health and community systems are the first line of defense against future pandemics and the backbone of the fight against AIDS, TB and malaria. The three diseases still kill millions every year and continue to deepen inequality, weaken health systems and hold back economic and social progress, with consequences that reach far beyond the countries most affected. At the same time, it is not a question of if, but when, we will face the next pandemic threat – and the world must be prepared.

To end today’s epidemics and face tomorrow’s health threats, countries need resilient, sustainable health and community systems. These systems are essential to ending AIDS, TB and malaria as public health threats, improving health outcomes for all, and delivering health services that are equitable and effective. As the largest multilateral provider of grants to strengthen health and community systems, the Global Fund is committed to keeping everyone, everywhere safe.

Our Response

Global Fund investments support countries to build resilient, crisis-ready health and community systems that serve people in the poorest and most marginalized communities.

The Global Fund is the only global health institution financing both governments and communities directly at scale. About a third of our total annual grant funding is directly invested in key components of health systems to support disease responses and enhance pandemic preparedness. Over three-quarters of these investments are concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Global Fund’s investments in health and community systems for 2024-2026 total US$6 billion – a 35% increase in health system funding relative to the previous grant cycle and by far the largest increase in this area in our history.

Our investments in HIV, TB and malaria have also significantly strengthened health and community systems, advancing progress toward universal health coverage and bolstering global health security.

The Global Fund health invests in the multiple, interconnected components that make strong health and community systems:

Human resources for health, including community health workers and community systems.
Laboratory systems.
Early warning surveillance and response.
Data systems.
Medical oxygen and respiratory care.
Health products and waste management systems.

Human Resources for Health

Our investments in human resources for health – including formal health workers, such as doctors, technicians and nurses, and community health workers and community-based networks – are fundamental. A strong health workforce makes health systems more effective and resilient and ensures people receive quality care. We are supporting countries to enable health workers to provide critical HIV, TB and malaria care as well as broader health services. We support countries to establish systems that enable the health workforce to identify and report disease outbreaks early, and we actively support steps toward country-owned financing of health workers.

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The Global Fund/Tommy Trenchard/Rooftop

The Global Fund/Olympia de Maismont

Community Systems

We support community systems for health that are designed, led and organized by communities themselves, because this is the most effective way to address local needs and reach the most marginalized and vulnerable people. Our investments support countries to better integrate community systems and responses into long-term national health plans, with a focus on ensuring that they are sustainable and complementary to public health responses.

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Laboratory Systems

Investing in laboratories safeguards against future health threats. Fully equipped, functioning and integrated laboratory systems allow health workers to track antimicrobial resistance, identify emerging disease threats and detect outbreaks early. Countries are able to find patients and link them to timely treatment, while also strengthening global health security. As one of the largest investors in laboratory systems, we help countries upgrade laboratory quality, biosafety and biosecurity to an international standard, build and strengthen integrated sample transport systems, and optimize diagnostic networks.

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The Global Fund/Vincent Becker

Early Warning Surveillance and Response

The Global Fund invests in strong and responsive disease surveillance systems, which are critical in enabling countries to quickly detect, report and respond to outbreaks of pandemic potential. As a result, countries are now using these enhanced surveillance systems to rapidly detect drug resistance, address ongoing outbreaks and prepare for future threats.

Maintaining momentum and investing in early warning systems for low- and middle-income countries is essential for national, regional and global health security.

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Data Systems

The Global Fund is one of the largest investors in digital health in low- and middle-income countries. We invest approximately US$150 million a year to strengthen health information systems and improve data availability, quality and use for HIV, TB, malaria and other health programs.

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The Global Fund/Olympia de Maismont

The Global Fund/Brian Otieno

Medical Oxygen and Respiratory Care

Medical oxygen is critical for treating advanced HIV, severe TB and malaria, pneumonia, and other respiratory illnesses. It also saves lives in surgery, childbirth and emergencies, and is vital for responding to health threats like COVID-19, mpox and Marburg virus disease. Yet 60% of people worldwide still lack access to reliable, affordable oxygen, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The Global Fund is the largest funder of medical oxygen in these countries, investing US$564 million across 88 countries from 2021 to 2025. This is the biggest expansion of medical oxygen access ever and is strengthening health systems, saving lives and making countries better prepared for future pandemics.

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Health Products and Waste Management Systems

The Global Fund plays a leading role in global markets for medicines and technologies that prevent, diagnose and treat HIV, TB and malaria.

Every year, roughly half of the Global Fund’s investments – about US$2 billion – is used to procure these key medicines and health products, ensuring they are available to those who need them most.

Supply Chains

The procurement and safe delivery of health products relies on robust, agile and efficient supply chains. Investments in supply chains help ensure equitable access to quality-assured health products and play a crucial role in improving health outcomes. Our investments in supply chain systems improve logistics data in health facilities, boosting order timeliness and efficiency.

We are strengthening regional production and procurement of health products, supporting sustainable manufacturing in Africa and other regions to ensure preparedness and resilient health systems.

Waste Management

Health care waste is an inevitable byproduct of providing health services. Unless it is managed carefully and correctly, health care waste can cause environmental damage and harm to human health, and contribute to the spread of diseases.

Because of this potential damage, safe and sustainable management of health care waste are an integral component of Global Fund-supported programs.