Malaria Control in Zambia

This case reviews national policy changes and interventions used to reduce the incidence of malaria in Zambia. After providing contextual information on Zambia—including historical, demographic, social, and health information—the case delves into the history of malaria control efforts worldwide and in Zambia between 2005 and 2010. During the early 2000s, Zambia was at the forefront of malaria control—changing policy, adopting new treatment, and aggressively pursuing comprehensive malaria control efforts. By 2005, however, the Zambian government was still falling short of its targets. The National Malaria Control Center (NMCC) resolved to intensify its efforts by developing one national plan to improve coordination, data collection, and partner involvement, and ultimately, to scale up interventions rapidly in order to meet the national malaria targets. The case describes how the new NMCC director, Dr. Elizabeth Chizema, guided the program toward success through several key interventions. With basic improvements in monitoring and evaluation, Chizema could demonstrate progress in malaria control. Nonetheless, she worried that partners might lose interest in helping Zambia, given the decreasing burden, even though the program still had many challenges to overcome. A condensed version of this case is also available, Malaria Control in Zambia (Condensed Version).

Learning Objectives: To understand the development of a successful malaria control program over time and the components that led to its success, including the value of setting bold national goals, the merits of a health system with centralized governance and decentralized implementation, the importance of multiple coordinated interventions as opposed to a "silver bullet" approach for malaria control, and the use of data as an outcome measure, planning tool, and fundraising tool.

The Global Health Delivery (GHD) Project, an interdisciplinary collaboration between Harvard Business School, Harvard Medical School, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, investigates the management decisions behind disease treatment and prevention globally. The Global Health Delivery (GHD) Case Collection is a set of teaching case studies that are available for all at no cost online through Harvard Business Publishing, GHDonline, and The Case Centre.