‘In pandemics… it’s disruptions to essential health services which can ultimately kill more people than the outbreak itself’
In this episode of Philanthropod, host Anubha Rawat speaks with CHIC CEO, Dr. Madeleine Ballard, a Rhodes Scholar and evaluation scientist. Dr. Ballard helped launch Liberia's first national professional Community Health Workers (CHWs) program and now leads the Community Health Impact Coalition (CHIC)’s mission to turn evidence-based community health into global policy.
CHIC is a global coalition professionalising CHWs at scale. What began between six community health organisations has evolved into a movement activating governments, NGOs and implementers to ensure CHWs are salaried, skilled, supervised and integrated into national health systems.
Anubha and Madeleine discuss the 1978 Alma-Ata Declaration that centered CHWs as the key to universal healthcare. While that vision was sidelined by the sovereign debt crisis and shifting international priorities, CHIC addresses a critical oversight: the original model relied on unsupported volunteers. CHWs were not paid, nor did they have supplies, supervision or training to properly benefit the system. By identifying specific barriers holding governments back, such as lack of start-up capital and the absence of global delivery guidelines, CHIC has stepped in to be the unified professional voice and evidence base needed to transform community health into a formal, national priority.
Today, CHIC’s pro-CHW policy dashboard tracks accreditation and pay across over 100 countries. Dr. Ballard views this “scoreboard” as a catalyst to double the number of nations adopting professional policies. While the concept of a CHW isn’t new, CHIC is securing the financial and delivery frameworks necessary to empower the“backbone” of primary healthcare to reach its full potential.
This episode is recommended listening for anyone interested in global health equity and how to move evidence-based ideas into national policy.