Sustainable Health Programs: Challenges and Pathways to Success

Outreach medical programs refer to medical or surgical care initiatives provided by volunteer teams typically from higher income countries and last from a few days to 8 weeks. To appreciate the development and empowerment of the onsite team, the use of "Sustainable Health Programs" (SHP) has become the preferred terminology at Global Smile Foundation. This study aims to review the challenges faced with implementing SHPs and propose a framework with the goal of implementing successful and sustainable programs. The cornerstone of such success is forging long-term, bidirectional partnerships with local healthcare teams, empowering them not only with clinical skills but also with the ability to mobilize resources independently. A SHP's success is gauged by how well it strengthens the local system to carry the mission forward long after the international team departs.