Background:Medical laboratory diagnostic services play a critical role in the diagnosis,treatment,and manage-ment of diseases,forming the cornerstone of effective healthcare systems.Despite the crucial role of laboratory services,the quality and accessibility of medical laboratory services in sub-Saharan Africa(SSA)face signifi-cant challenges.Global health development aid has been pivotal in supporting SSA laboratory services.This study aimed to examine global health development aid initiatives that have successfully enhanced the quality of medical laboratory services and the challenges and barriers to effectively improving medical laboratory services through global health development aid in SSA.Methods:We used a narrative review study design.We searched PubMed,Web of Science and Scopus for articles published in the last 15 years.These three databases are generally considered premier databases for peer-reviewed articles in global health,public health,health systems,and biomedical sciences.The inclusion criteria for this review included research studies,reports,and grey literature.Only articles published in English from 2010 on-ward were considered.The analysis followed a qualitative approach,emphasizing thematic synthesis and critical interpretation.Results:Forty articles were included in this study.Of these,18 were primary research studies,11 were reports,7 were commentaries,and 4 were reviews.Five sub-themes from the successful global health development aid initiative themes were capacity building and training programs,infrastructure development,partnership models,policy advocacy and regulatory support,quality control and standardization of laboratory services.The sub-themes from the challenges and barrier theme were insufficient funding and resource allocation,human resource constraints,inadequate infrastructure and equipment,and political and institutional barriers.This review re-vealed that several factors,including financial sustainability,human resource capacity,institutional support,resilience,and effective monitoring systems,shape the sustainability of improvements in medical laboratory services in SSA.Conclusion:Achieving long-term sustainability requires strategies that ensure financial self-sufficiency,foster a skilled and stable workforce,and integrate laboratory services into national health frameworks.

Background:Antimicrobial resistance(AMR)poses a significant and growing public health challenge in East and Southern Africa.Despite formal commitments to the National Action Plans,domestic financing for AMR remains critically limited,with most countries continuing to depend heavily on external donor funding.Objective:This narrative review examines the current extent to which domestic fiscal commitments align with national AMR policy goals across the two regions.Methods:Government websites for ministries of health and finance,donor platforms,and three academic databases(Scopus,JSTOR,Google Scholar)were searched for eligible articles.National budget statements and media reports were also reviewed where available.Three researchers independently screened titles and sum-maries,followed by full-text reviews to confirm eligibility.Results:The findings reveal that while several countries have developed National Action Plans,very few have allocated domestic funding to implement them.Only Malawi,Nigeria and Uganda reported modest domestic con-tributions,while in other countries such as Zambia,Ethiopia,and South Africa,AMR programs remain largely donor-financed or lack dedicated budget lines altogether.Veterinary and laboratory sectors are particularly un-derfunded,with minimal integration into broader AMR strategies.While this review has several limitations in-cluding restricted access to current,comprehensive national budget data and a reliance on secondary sources such as donor and World Health Organization reports,which may introduce bias,the patterns identified in this review still offer valuable insight into regional funding dynamics and can inform future policy and research efforts.Conclusion:We conclude that without dedicated domestic financing and accountability mechanisms,AMR efforts in the region may face significant sustainability challenges observed in other health responses such as human immunodeficiency virus.Strengthening AMR governance requires clear budgetary commitments,sustainable co-financing models,and policy instruments to reduce dependency on external support.

Background:Antimicrobial resistance(AMR)poses a significant and growing public health challenge in East and Southern Africa.Despite formal commitments to the National Action Plans,domestic financing for AMR remains critically limited,with most countries continuing to depend heavily on external donor funding.Objective:This narrative review examines the current extent to which domestic fiscal commitments align with national AMR policy goals across the two regions.Methods:Government websites for ministries of health and finance,donor platforms,and three academic databases(Scopus,JSTOR,Google Scholar)were searched for eligible articles.National budget statements and media reports were also reviewed where available.Three researchers independently screened titles and sum-maries,followed by full-text reviews to confirm eligibility.Results:The findings reveal that while several countries have developed National Action Plans,very few have allocated domestic funding to implement them.Only Malawi,Nigeria and Uganda reported modest domestic con-tributions,while in other countries such as Zambia,Ethiopia,and South Africa,AMR programs remain largely donor-financed or lack dedicated budget lines altogether.Veterinary and laboratory sectors are particularly un-derfunded,with minimal integration into broader AMR strategies.While this review has several limitations in-cluding restricted access to current,comprehensive national budget data and a reliance on secondary sources such as donor and World Health Organization reports,which may introduce bias,the patterns identified in this review still offer valuable insight into regional funding dynamics and can inform future policy and research efforts.Conclusion:We conclude that without dedicated domestic financing and accountability mechanisms,AMR efforts in the region may face significant sustainability challenges observed in other health responses such as human immunodeficiency virus.Strengthening AMR governance requires clear budgetary commitments,sustainable co-financing models,and policy instruments to reduce dependency on external support.

Background:Medical laboratory diagnostic services play a critical role in the diagnosis,treatment,and manage-ment of diseases,forming the cornerstone of effective healthcare systems.Despite the crucial role of laboratory services,the quality and accessibility of medical laboratory services in sub-Saharan Africa(SSA)face signifi-cant challenges.Global health development aid has been pivotal in supporting SSA laboratory services.This study aimed to examine global health development aid initiatives that have successfully enhanced the quality of medical laboratory services and the challenges and barriers to effectively improving medical laboratory services through global health development aid in SSA.Methods:We used a narrative review study design.We searched PubMed,Web of Science and Scopus for articles published in the last 15 years.These three databases are generally considered premier databases for peer-reviewed articles in global health,public health,health systems,and biomedical sciences.The inclusion criteria for this review included research studies,reports,and grey literature.Only articles published in English from 2010 on-ward were considered.The analysis followed a qualitative approach,emphasizing thematic synthesis and critical interpretation.Results:Forty articles were included in this study.Of these,18 were primary research studies,11 were reports,7 were commentaries,and 4 were reviews.Five sub-themes from the successful global health development aid initiative themes were capacity building and training programs,infrastructure development,partnership models,policy advocacy and regulatory support,quality control and standardization of laboratory services.The sub-themes from the challenges and barrier theme were insufficient funding and resource allocation,human resource constraints,inadequate infrastructure and equipment,and political and institutional barriers.This review re-vealed that several factors,including financial sustainability,human resource capacity,institutional support,resilience,and effective monitoring systems,shape the sustainability of improvements in medical laboratory services in SSA.Conclusion:Achieving long-term sustainability requires strategies that ensure financial self-sufficiency,foster a skilled and stable workforce,and integrate laboratory services into national health frameworks.