Global Health recognises that many health challenges cross national borders and need international cooperation.
Through the Global Health Programme, the HSE partners with countries in Africa to strengthen health systems and share learning.
By working together, we improve healthcare both abroad and at home, bringing back new ideas, skills, and experiences that benefit everyone.
Our vision, mission and values
Our vision is a world where everyone can get quality healthcare.
Our mission is to improve health services in partnership with:
- countries with low or middle incomes
- countries in crisis
- healthcare in Ireland
Our values are:
- equity - we stand for fairness in health
- ethical collaboration - we build partnerships based on mutual respect
- sustainability - we aim for long-term change
- innovation - we find new ways to improve care
- shared learning - we believe everyone can learn from each other
Why global health matters
Pandemics, climate change, and conflict affect us all. By working across countries, we make health systems stronger everywhere.
Global health work helps Irish healthcare staff gain skills, cultural awareness, and resilience.
Our Strategic Goals 2025–2027
Strengthening partnerships abroad
We have partnerships with Ethiopia, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia, and Sudan.
Together we aim to:
- support health ministries with quality improvement programmes
- collaborate to train health professionals
- donate medical equipment to partner countries
Some of our partnership projects are listed below.
Ethiopia
We support the development of a national healthcare accreditation system. We also provide training in clinical psychology and healthcare quality.
Tanzania
We work with the Ministry of Health to train staff in Quality Improvement (QI). We support programmes to improve care delivered at primary healthcare facilities. We also develop capacity for health service monitoring, evaluation and research.
Mozambique
We work with the Ministry of Health to improve the quality of hospital services. We build leadership and improve hospital care in rural areas. We also assist with QI projects in healthcare settings.
Zambia
We help provide specialist medical training and equipment. We also support Zambia to develop a sustainable organisation for training medical specialities.
Sudan
We donate medical equipment during times of crisis. We train frontline health workers. We also support Sudanese diaspora-led projects for essential care and rehabilitation.
Bringing global health into Ireland
We bring global health into Ireland by raising awareness of global health across the HSE. We provide training to healthcare workers in global health principles. We also use lessons from abroad to improve services here.
Our projects include developing global health courses to train Irish healthcare workers. We also connect Irish staff with overseas colleagues through webinars and learning exchanges.
Promoting and supporting global health
We work to improve global health by helping to shape strategies in Ireland and around the world. We stay connected with groups like the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Irish Aid. We help Ireland respond to global emergencies and always think about how climate change affects health in everything we do.
Through our projects we:
- impact on global health policies with WHO and Irish Aid
- donate refurbished medical equipment to partners like Zambia, Sudan, and Ukraine
- develop Ireland’s rapid response framework for global health crises with government and partners
How we work
We focus on building strong partnerships by:
Our impact
Through our work:
- Irish healthcare staff gain global experience
- partner countries build stronger health systems
- communities get better, safer care
- Ireland shows solidarity and helps in global crises
Learn more
Email: globalhealth@hse.ie
Last updated: 14/10/2025
