The Medical Male Circumcision Scale-Up and Sustainability to Avert New HIV Infections (MMC SUSTAIN) project was implemented by the Foundation for Professional Development (FPD) in partnership with Genesis Analytics.
Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the project supported the South African National Department of Health to strengthen the national Medical Male Circumcision (MMC) programme and improve its long-term sustainability.
The project focused on building resilient systems that enable government structures to plan, manage and deliver MMC services effectively and at scale.
MMC SUSTAIN aimed to help government transition towards a sustainable national MMC programme by strengthening the systems and capabilities needed to manage services independently.
Build government ownership, motivation and capacity across national, provincial and district structures.
Support better planning, coordination, implementation and oversight of MMC services.
Strengthen domestic resource planning and local systems to reduce reliance on external programme support.
The project used an integrated approach to address the operational, management and sustainability challenges of the national MMC programme. The workstreams were tailored to the needs of the different health system levels and implementation areas.
Strengthening coordination and collaboration across health system levels to support effective programme oversight and implementation.
Building the skills, motivation and ownership of government teams to manage and sustain the MMC programme.
Improving programme planning and supporting locally appropriate implementation approaches informed by programme needs and performance.
Strengthening quality assurance, service delivery standards and compliance monitoring structures.
Improving information management, monitoring and evaluation, analytics and the use of data for decision-making.
Supporting financial planning, budgeting and domestic resource mobilisation to strengthen programme sustainability.
Knowledge management: Knowledge management cuts across all workstreams, supporting the sharing of lessons, approaches and good practices to strengthen programme effectiveness and sustainability.
MMC SUSTAIN provided technical assistance at national and sub-national levels, with focused support in eight districts across three provinces.
eThekwini, Amajuba, iLembe and uMgungundlovu.
Gert Sibande.
City of Johannesburg, West Rand and Ekurhuleni.
MMC SUSTAIN applied a user-centred and behaviourally informed approach to strengthen programme systems. The people responsible for planning and delivering MMC services were placed at the centre of the improvement process.
Solutions were developed around the needs and working realities of Department of Health employees and programme stakeholders.
The project encouraged local ownership and supported government teams to take responsibility for programme improvements, rather than creating long-term dependency.
Stakeholders worked together to identify challenges, develop practical solutions and strengthen their capacity to manage the programme.
The project focused on improving the systems and capabilities needed to deliver a high-quality, sustainable national MMC programme.
Better quality MMC service delivery and more efficient compliance monitoring.
Improved information management, monitoring, analytics and data use.
More resilient local systems able to plan, manage and execute MMC services.
Stronger domestic resource planning and improved readiness for donor transition.
Sustainable healthcare programmes require more than service expansion. They need strong leadership, capable teams, reliable information, quality systems and appropriate resourcing. MMC SUSTAIN supported these foundations to help government structures take ownership of the national MMC programme and sustain its delivery over time.
Through its partnership with Genesis Analytics and support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, FPD contributed technical expertise and health systems strengthening support to help build a more resilient and sustainable Medical Male Circumcision programme in South Africa.