Policy Solutions

Policies shape the environments that improve millions of lives at a time

Public health policies are the key to saving lives at scale. Vital Strategies uses “policy” precisely: targeted, specific interventions such as executive orders, new legislation, funding allocations, regulatory changes or new guidelines — aimed at a defined health issue with a measurable outcome. A policy needs political will to pass, technical rigor to survive legal challenge, and public support to outlast the officials who signed it. We help governments build all three: identifying the priorities worth fighting for, designing policies that hold up to legal and economic scrutiny, and sustaining them through implementation, enforcement and political change.

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Vital-supported policies moved from proposal to adoption across 24 countries in 2025, spanning regulations, legislation, local ordinances and budget allocations.

Our Expertise

Legal and regulatory analysis

In Nepal, Vital-supported analysis helped the government become the first in the world to mandate 100% health warning coverage on cigarette packs — a policy that sets a new global standard and gives other countries a replicable model.

End-to-end policy development, enactment and implementation

In Zimbabwe, enhanced maternal mortality surveillance revealed how many deaths were tied to pregnancy-induced hypertension. A Vital-supported policy analysis turned that evidence into concrete detection and treatment recommendations, which catalyzed nationwide training in emergency obstetric care.

Economic and health impact estimation

In South Africa, Vital-supported modeling helped design a tax on sugary drinks that produced a 29% decline in purchases of taxed beverages, a 51% reduction in sugar intake, and $313 million in government revenue in its first two years — with the greatest health gains among lower-income households.

Political mapping and strategy

In Brazil, Vital-supported effort helped build the coalition needed to pass a historic health tax reform on tobacco, alcohol and sugary drinks, generating public attention and engagement, more than 800 news stories and breaking decades of legislative deadlock.

Data Impact

We support countries to turn data into insights and policy action.

Data Impact partners with governments to put health data to work, turning routine health records, vital statistics and surveillance data into the evidence that shapes policies, budgets and priorities. In Peru, three decades of cause-of-death analysis informed new government policy on vaccines and cancer screening. Across 7 countries, Vital’s data-to-policy support has contributed to new initiatives for cervical cancer elimination which will prevent thousands of cases and deaths.

See our Data Impact work

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Policy briefs generated through Vital’s Data to Policy program across 24 countries — with nearly 4 in 10 producing recommendations that were enacted, implemented or directly influenced government policy.

Policy Accelerator

Launched in 2021, the Policy Accelerator is Vital’s applied, end-to-end model for advancing urgent public health policy — anticipating roadblocks before they stall a bill and walking local leaders step-by-step through the process that maximizes the odds of adoption. Our case study in Córdoba, Argentina illustrates how it works.

How it works

Diagnose
Identify a significant public health challenge in the jurisdiction using local data to map root causes and impact.

Design
Build context-specific, legally sound, high-impact solutions.

Deploy
Mobilize political, technical, and public support to win adoption.

Visit the Policy Accelerator

21 countries

Including 19 cities, supported by the Vital-run Policy Accelerator since 2021, on issues from air quality monitoring to calorie labels in chain restaurants.

Explore solutions

Data Systems and Public Health Intelligence

We support governments and civil society partners to strengthen surveillance systems, build local data capacity and apply AI and digital tools to data collection. This evidence anchors policy and program decisions in the lived reality of populations.

Learn more