Public Health Practice Spotlight: Joselito Malca Hernandez, MPH ’26 (Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases) – Yale School of Public Health

Evaluation Report: Project BOXER’s Contribution to Global Health and Sustainable Development Goals

Project Overview and Strategic Alignment with SDGs

This report details a comprehensive mixed-methods evaluation of Project BOXER (Build Oxygen for the COVID-19 Emergency Response). This initiative, a Centrally Managed Limited Investment (CMLI) by the Global Fund in partnership with Build Health International (BHI), provided critical technical assistance for the implementation of Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) oxygen plants across 60 countries. The project’s core mission directly supports several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), primarily SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) by strengthening the capacity of countries for risk reduction and management of global health risks. Furthermore, the collaborative nature of the project exemplifies SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), while the establishment of resilient health infrastructure aligns with SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure).

Evaluation Methodology

The assessment utilized a mixed-methods approach to ensure a holistic analysis of the project’s impact and alignment with sustainable development principles.

• Quantitative Analysis: Analysis of program data and technical indicators was conducted to measure project efficacy and performance. This data-driven approach is essential for tracking progress towards SDG targets.
• Qualitative Analysis: Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with key stakeholders from the Global Fund, BHI, and country partners. This method provided crucial insights into implementation experiences and partnership effectiveness, reflecting the collaborative spirit of SDG 17.

Core Objectives and SDG Contributions

The evaluation was structured around key objectives designed to assess the project’s immediate impact and long-term sustainability, ensuring its contributions to the global SDG framework.

1. Evaluate Project Contributions: To assess how the provision of oxygen infrastructure directly contributed to enhancing universal health coverage and emergency response capabilities (SDG 3).
2. Document Implementation Experiences: To capture the operational realities of a multi-stakeholder global health partnership (SDG 17).
3. Assess Sustainability and System Integration: To determine the long-term viability of the PSA plants as resilient health infrastructure and their integration into national health systems (SDG 9 and SDG 3).
4. Identify Challenges and Lessons Learned: To derive actionable insights from operational challenges to improve future global health initiatives.
5. Generate Actionable Insights: To formulate recommendations that strengthen future health systems and emergency oxygen delivery programs, promoting equitable access to essential healthcare and supporting SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).

Key Responsibilities and Outcomes

The execution of this evaluation involved several key responsibilities, culminating in a report aimed at informing future sustainable health programming.

• Quantitative data analysis of technical and program indicators.
• Qualitative coding and thematic analysis of stakeholder interviews.
• Development of protocol and ethics documentation.
• Preparation of an integrated report outlining key findings and recommendations focused on sustainability and health system integration, in line with the principles of the Sustainable Development Goals.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   The article’s central theme is the evaluation of Project BOXER, an initiative designed to provide emergency oxygen in response to the COVID-19 crisis. By focusing on strengthening “emergency oxygen delivery programs” and “health systems,” the project directly contributes to ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being, which is the core mission of SDG 3.

2. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

   The project involves the implementation of “PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) oxygen plants.” These plants represent critical health infrastructure. The project’s goal to “assess sustainability and system integration” of this infrastructure aligns with SDG 9’s aim to build resilient infrastructure and promote sustainable industrialization.

3. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   The article explicitly describes Project BOXER as a partnership initiative involving the “Global Fund,” “Build Health International (BHI),” and “country partners” across 60 countries. This multi-stakeholder collaboration to provide technical assistance and strengthen health systems is a clear example of the global partnerships promoted by SDG 17.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 3.d: Strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks.

  Project BOXER was created as an “Emergency Response” to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project’s objective to “generate actionable insights to strengthen future health systems and emergency oxygen delivery programs” directly addresses the need to build capacity for managing global health risks like pandemics.

• Target 9.a: Facilitate sustainable and resilient infrastructure development in developing countries through enhanced financial, technological and technical support.

  The project provided “technical assistance to support the implementation of PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) oxygen plants across 60 countries.” This action is a direct implementation of Target 9.a, as it facilitates the development of critical health infrastructure (oxygen plants) in multiple countries through technical support from international partners.

• Target 17.16: Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources.

  The initiative is described as a partnership between the Global Fund, BHI, and country-level stakeholders. The evaluation itself involves gathering insights from all partners to “document implementation experiences” and identify “lessons learned,” which exemplifies the sharing of knowledge and expertise within a multi-stakeholder partnership to achieve a common health goal.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article mentions and implies several indicators used to measure the project’s progress and effectiveness.

• Quantitative Program and Technical Indicators

  The article explicitly states that the evaluation includes “quantitative analysis of program data and technical indicators.” These would be used to measure the operational success and technical performance of the PSA oxygen plants, directly indicating progress towards building resilient infrastructure (Target 9.a) and strengthening health system capacity (Target 3.d).

• Qualitative Indicators from Stakeholder Interviews

  The use of “qualitative interviews (semi-structured and focus groups)” provides data on the effectiveness of the partnership (Target 17.16). The “qualitative coding and thematic analysis” of these interviews to “document implementation experiences” and identify “challenges and lessons learned” serves as a qualitative indicator of the partnership’s functionality and the project’s real-world impact.

• Indicators of Sustainability and System Integration

  The project’s goal to “assess sustainability and system integration” implies the use of specific indicators to measure these aspects. These indicators would gauge how well the new oxygen infrastructure is integrated into existing health systems and its long-term viability, which is crucial for measuring progress towards strengthening health systems (Target 3.d) and ensuring sustainable infrastructure (Target 9.a).

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators” to present the findings from analyzing the article.

Source: ysph.yale.edu