Social Innovation in Health Initiative - Philippines

e absence of inclusive, effective and affordable healthcare delivery systems. Now more than ever, a new lens is required by all actors to address these basic systemic, organisational and individual challenges that hinder our communities from achieving their optimal potential. A realisation from current approaches to improve healthcare delivery is the frequent failure of well-designed policies and programmes. One-size-fits-all strategies have failed to address the cultural and contextual nuances. They have often been centred on addressing the perceived and not the lived reality of people and communities. Sustainability and longevity of these interventions have been challenged and the desired impact has not been achieved. Moving into the next decade, underpinned by the Sustainable Development Goals, new approaches and methods are imperative to engage communities and all sectors in a collaborative identification, creation, and implementation process. Transformative change is possible. We have to challenge our existing paradigms, embrace new ways of doing and drive systemic progress through interventions and individuals. Community-based social innovation is a unique lens and approach to tackling complex healthcare delivery challenges. It combines best practices across a range of disciplines. It finds novel ways to implement comprehensive solutions by engaging and collaborating with actors across hierarchies and sectors. The outputs are in interventions and process: interventions that make healthcare delivery more inclusive, effective and affordable and a process that fosters internalised change in people. The outcomes are sustainable and scalable social innovation that strengthens health systems globally. (Van Niekerk, L; Halpaap, B; SIHI 2015)