With its extensive and long term experience in bilateral health cooperation and its reputation for reliability, flexibility, and technical know-how, Switzerland has strong comparative advantages in bilateral health cooperation.

At the country level, SDC generally collaborates with a wide range of governmental (i.e. ministries and local governments) and non-governmental partners (NGOs and civil society groups, private sector, research/training and development institutions, as well as communities). In fragile contexts, SDC aims to link the humanitarian approach with longer-term development perspectives. In more stable contexts, SDC supports the existing systems through a programme-based approach.

Improving health and health services is not only a matter of concern for governments, but central to communities and individuals.

Therefore, SDC supports projects aiming at helping and empowering communities and individuals to adopt healthy lifestyles (health promotion and community action in health projects) on the one hand. On the other hand, SDC aims at strengthening national health systems through an equitably distributed network of health facilities, with qualified staff, adequate resources (medicine, commodities and equipment) as well as quality insurance systems. In order to ensure and sustain access, the services are always oriented towards the needs of the users and national, regional and local authorities are hold accountable for the availability, access and quality of health services.

SDC’s main aim is poverty reduction through good health with special attention to the needs of the poor and vulnerable populations. Health promotion, prevention and treatment are the pillars of SDC’s work in health. Research on health outcomes, trends and the health systems build an important evidence base for steering, decision making and the monitoring of interventions.

Find all projects on the SDC project database>>

Find more information on SDC's bilateral cooperation here:

Development cooperation with the South>>
Development cooperation with Eastern Europe>>