Community engagement and local governance for health equity through trust: lessons from developing the CONNECT Initiative in the Lao People's Democratic Republic.

ABSTRACT: Community engagement and local governance are important components of health interventions aiming to empower local populations. Yet, there is limited evidence on how to effectively engage with communities and codevelop interventions, especially in Southeast Asian contexts. Despite rapid progress, the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) still has high maternal and child mortality, with essential service coverage showing significant disparities across socioeconomic strata. Long-standing challenges in community health were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and reinforced by poor trust between users and health providers. However, the pandemic also provided an opportunity to develop approaches for enhanced community engagement and local governance capacity to tackle health inequities.

SUBMITTER: Kubota S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11440194 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature