Promote Health Equity & Access
Where you live shouldn’t determine whether you live.
From rural clinics that close at noon to overburdened hospitals in state capitals, too many Nigerians navigate a health system that fails to see them.
In some communities, giving birth safely still depends on whether the rain allows the road to be passable. In others, families sell harvests to pay for surgeries that should’ve been covered.
At CISD, we believe that access to healthcare is not a privilege—it’s a right. Rights should be guaranteed, not rationed.
✦ Approach
Our Approach⚡
We work at the intersection of systems design, behavioral insights, and community voice to reimagine health access.
Instead of replicating old models, we listen deeply to communities and co-design solutions that reflect their realities.
We’re not just chasing bigger budgets—we’re asking different questions: What do people actually need? What stops them from using the services already available? What could make the system care better?
+ Intersection
+ Community Voice
+ Asking Questions
+ Listening
✦ Ongoing Initiatives
Ongoing Initiatives
Health Insurance ResearchCommunity-DefinedHealth ReformsHealth Policy Ideation Labs
We’re investigating why many people still don’t access health insurance—even where it exists.
By combining data with personal narratives, we aim to inform smarter, more responsive health policies that meet people where they are.
In select rural and peri-urban areas, we’ve launched behavioral pilot projects co-designed with local women, health workers, and traditional leaders.
These projects challenge the idea that health interventions must be top-down—and instead ask: what would a health system designed by the people look like?
We bring policymakers, service providers, and community voices into the same room—not just to talk, but to design.
Our labs use human-centered design principles to rethink everything from patient referral systems to maternal health delivery.
Selected Publications & Knowledge Work
“Invisible Barriers:"“Why Health Insurance..."A Health SystemThey Would Use"“From Constructionto Co-Creation"
- “Invisible Barriers: Why Health Insurance Doesn’t Work for the Poor” Findings from Ogun State on behavioral and institutional gaps in uptake.
- “A Health System They Would Use” Narrative insights from community-based design pilots in three rural LGAs.
- “From Consultation to Co-Creation” A report on participatory systems design for public health innovation.
Want to Build Health Systems That Work for All?
You Can:
Contact Us
Contact Our Health Equity Team
