Established by GaneshAID, the Knowledge Lab for Innovation Community (KLIC) is a pioneering think tank and network committed to informing countries about available health innovations and accelerating their evidence-based implementation and scale-up at the country level. We aim to strengthen countries’ capacity to lead and manage the implementation and scale-up of pro-equity innovations, fostering a country-led movement of health system modernization.

Integrated health systems are recognized as major contributors to better distribution of health outcomes and improved well-being. In emergency conditions, integrated health services can ensure better access to the target population. In recent years, several crises, including conflicts, natural disasters, epidemics and pandemics, have led to a major change in the health-seeking behavior of communities, with preventive services being relegated to the background despite their availability and curative health services being sought as late as possible.

Routine immunization has long been integrated into many programmes, such as Vitamin A supplementation, growth monitoring, deworming or insecticide-treated mosquito nets. The importance of integration, both in health systems in general and in immunization programmes in particular, has been steadily growing, and this is reflected in a wide range of global policies and strategies.

The Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030) sets out a global vision and strategy for vaccines and immunization for the decade 2021-2030. For immunization programme to be effective in strengthening PHC through FY2030, domestic financing and official development assistance (ODA) must be aligned across development partners, as well as aligned with national targets. GaneshAID and its partners are supporting countries to expand immunization services to reach under-immunized and zero-dose children on a regular basis, while expanding full immunization through routine services and helping to strengthen a stronger PHC platform through immunization scale-up efforts.

Globally, many efforts have been made to synchronize immunization services with other country-specific areas or areas of concern in many countries, such as the application of the primary health care lens to Gavi programmes, the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Maternal and Child Survival Programme (MCSP) which has helped Liberia’s Ministry of Health to scale up integrated family planning and immunization services as part of a broader programme of service delivery and health system recovery after the Ebola outbreak.

A significant decline in immunization coverage and an overburdened public health system pose a risk of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) and urgent intervention is needed to address the immune gap. Today, the vaccination platform as an entry point to reach communities through differentiated/targeted service delivery, identification and reach of zero-dose communities, demand generation, community engagement, and other services can be replicated for other programmes, including but not limited to those for maternal and child health, reproductive health, and family planning, nutrition, early childhood development, COVID-19, children with disabilities, social protection, education, health emergencies like cholera, etc., and these can support each other.

Current knowledge, tools, and practices alone will not be enough to achieve equitable coverage targets, and this is why the IA2030 strategic priorities focus on improving global and national research and innovation capacities to increase equitable vaccination coverage, extend the benefits of vaccination to other populations, identify and respond to unmet needs and emerging challenges.

The IA2030 strategic priorities highlight specific research and innovation needs for immunization programmes but also the PHC platform, in the context of the integration continuum. Thus, GaneshAID and its partners wish, through the KLIC initiative, to participate in the response to these research and innovation needs.

Become a part of this dynamic community that values knowledge creation and sharing to solve the most pressing health challenges of our time. Engage with KLIC to learn more about our work and how you can contribute to the health system modernization in LMICs.