Equity and health systems
Equity is all about fairness. As we begin to look at the question of equity in health systems, it is important to remind ourselves that not all societies, and not …
Course: Health Systems Strengthening
The Health Systems Pyramid
In this video we began a discussion about the structure, function and use of the health system at different levels within a country, something we will delve into in detail …
Global health system actors
“We understand global health needs to include disease prevention, quality care, equitable access and the provision of health security for all people. We define the global health system as the …
Converging Health Systems Frameworks
Not all “health systems strengthening” initiatives actually strengthen health systems. Having good frameworks to conceptualise health systems and guide action are essential, as the linked article by Shakarishvili and colleagues …
Thinking Systematically
While health systems frameworks such as the ‘control knobs’ and ‘building blocks’ may be a useful starting point to understanding the core elements and functions of health systems, a more …
Systems thinking in health systems
Systems thinking is easier for some people than others – and some people who work in health systems naturally think in non-linear, complex ways, even if they don’t give formal …
From Primary Health Care to Universal Health Coverage
The global health privatisation debates were a large-scale version of a question asked in every health system: who should pay for health care, and how? And if the health system’s …
An overview of different health systems frameworks
While there are many frameworks to describe health systems, the two most influential are WHO’s Building Blocks framework and the World Bank/Harvard’s Control Knobs framework. The World Health Organization’s “Building …
The path to Universal Health Coverage
The WHO’s World Health Report (2010) is the most recent of the World Health Reports to focus on health systems, and it lays out the vision for Universal Health Coverage …
The emergence of Primary Health Care
In your country setting, how were your health systems influenced by the Primary Health Care movement (if at all)? If you know something of this history in your own setting, …
The reconceptualisation of global health
How should global health be understood in an era marked by the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), climate change and other environmental crises, integrated chains of production and consumption, …
