scholarly journals Towards universal health coverage in the WHO African Region: assessing health system functionality, incorporating lessons from COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. e004618
Author(s):  
Humphrey Cyprian Karamagi ◽  
Prosper Tumusiime ◽  
Regina Titi-Ofei ◽  
Benson Droti ◽  
Hillary Kipruto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health System ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Universal Health Coverage ◽  
System Development ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
African Region ◽  
Policy Action ◽  
Related Services ◽  
Essential Services ◽  
Universal Health

The move towards universal health coverage is premised on having well-functioning health systems, which can assure provision of the essential health and related services people need. Efforts to define ways to assess functionality of health systems have however varied, with many not translating into concrete policy action and influence on system development. We present an approach to provide countries with information on the functionality of their systems in a manner that will facilitate movement towards universal health coverage. We conceptualise functionality of a health system as being a construct of four capacities: access to, quality of, demand for essential services and its resilience to external shocks. We test and confirm the validity of these capacities as appropriate measures of system functionality. We thus provide results for functionality of the 47 countries of the WHO African Region based on this. The functionality of health systems ranges from 34.4 to 75.8 on a 0–100 scale. Access to essential services represents the lowest capacity in most countries of the region, specifically due to poor physical access to services. Funding levels from public and out-of-pocket sources represent the strongest predictors of system functionality, compared with other sources. By focusing on the assessment on the capacities that define system functionality, each country has concrete information on where it needs to focus, in order to improve the functionality of its health system to enable it respond to current needs including achieving universal health coverage, while responding to shocks from challenges such as the 2019 coronavirus disease. This systematic and replicable approach for assessing health system functionality can provide the guidance needed for investing in country health systems to attain universal health coverage goals.

scholarly journals 31.F. Workshop: Health system (performance) assessment: working towards a common approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Health System ◽  
Performance Assessment ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Universal Health Coverage ◽  
System Performance ◽  
Health System Performance ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
Health System Performance Assessment ◽  
Health Systems Performance ◽  
Universal Health

Abstract Since the publication of the World Health Report 2000, which aimed at assessing health systems performance globally, a number of health systems performance assessment (HSPA) frameworks and tools, designed for various purposes, have emerged. In 2017, the joint Universal Health Coverage 2030 Technical Working Group on Health Systems Assessment (TWG), consisting of health policy makers and global actors, such as the WHO, World Bank, USAID, Unicef, European Commission, OECD, etc., was formed with the aim to align the existing tools and develop a common approach to understanding and measuring health systems performance globally. As part of this work, the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (OBS) has developed a Health Systems Performance Assessment framework for Universal Health Coverage (HSPA Framework for UHC), that allows to evaluate health system performance, largely by drawing on the information available in the existing tools or through global data collection initiatives. Suggested approach is based on the detailed assessment of the four health system functions (governance, financing, resource generation and service delivery) and their sub-functions, the interaction of which jointly leads to the successes and failures in the achievement of health system goals. We propose distinct assessment areas for specific functions and sub-functions as a way to identify potential strengths and weaknesses, which can then be related to actions or responsibilities of specific actors within a health system, or linkages to other sectors. The objective of the workshop is to introduce the background, rationale, methods and process of developing of the HSPA framework for UHC; present a systematic approach to assessing various functions of health system and their interactions; relate the assessment areas of specific functions and sub-functions to the final health system goals; and, finally, to test the use of the framework in practice. The workshop is structured as follows: the workshop will start from the four 10-minute presentations (outlined below), followed by an interactive session with the audience to discuss the content of the framework and elaborate on its potential use for HSPA and applications globally. Key messages The HSPA framework for UHC is an approach that allows to bring together existing HSPA efforts and moves towards a more systematic and universally applicable health system performance assessment. The approach assesses performance through attribution of various health system outcomes to specific functions and sub-functions, allowing to identify strengths and weaknesses that affect performance.

21.G. Round table: Strengthening national level health systems governance

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health System ◽  
Eastern Europe ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Universal Health Coverage ◽  
National Level ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Universal Health ◽  
Health Systems Governance

Abstract Very often, important health system reforms are delayed, rendered ineffective or they simply go badly wrong. All too often this happens not because of a lack of money, health workers or health care facilities but because we adopt unfit ideas and decision and/or implement them insufficiently. The incapacity to develop, adopt and implement good decision is quintessentially the definition of bad governance. If we are to develop our health systems towards Universal Health Coverage and health systems performance improvement, we will need to strengthen our health system governance. Governance is vitally important to health systems reform and refers to how decisions are made and implemented - everything from the ability of policy-makers to take evidence-based and relevant decisions to their ability to implement policies and create alignment between different actors. In this workshop we will share experiences from a governance spring course for policy makers from Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Connected to this we will also share preliminary results of a study on National Level Health Systems Governance. The panelists will address five key issues The contribution of governance to Universal Health Coverage. This contribution will focus on a) the concept of governance defined as the way societies make and implement collective decisions and b) its 5 main domains including transparency, accountability, participation, integrity and capacity. (S Greer)Governance improvement needs in Eastern Europe and Central Asia: experiences from working with policy makers including countries like Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. For purpose of peer-learning and contrasting experiences we have paired these countries with policy makers from Austria, Finland and Ireland (G Pastorino)Stakeholder participation in decision making and implementation: Very often, powerful stakeholders, like the medical profession, is over-represented and exerts immense veto power, while the voice of other professions, patients, and citizens remained unheard. What are the governance strategies and instruments to harness those underrepresented stakeholders for Universal Health Coverage? (G Fattore)Governing centralized and decentralized budgets in primary, social and hospital care: population-based health care in larger countries requires decentralization of part of the health care budget. What are the accountability lines and instruments that ensure that regional and local budget holders aligning with national policies for Universal Health Coverage? (L Hawkins)Governance contribution addressing corruption: According to surveys health systems are perceived prone to corruption. What is the contribution of governance to heal corruption and make the system work according to rules? (D Clarke) Key messages If we are to make progress towards Universal Health Coverage, we will need to strengthen health systems governance. Without strengthening health systems governance we will fail to manage stakeholders, budgets and corruption.

Health workers and health systems

2018 ◽  
pp. 40-43
Author(s):  
Kate Mandeville ◽  
Ingrid Wolfe
Keyword(s):  
Health System ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Universal Health Coverage ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
Historical Factors ◽  
Equity Of Access ◽  
Universal Health

This chapter describes the critical role that health workers and strong health systems play in improving maternal and child health. A strong health system should deliver improved health, financial protection, equity of access, and a responsive service. Delivering these goals relies on strengthening all parts of the health system, in the context of social, political, and historical factors. There are many lessons to be learned from country experiences, including the importance of universal health coverage and investment in health workers. Universal health coverage is vital for ensuring good health for all; however, both establishing and expanding such coverage is fraught with challenges. Health workforces need to be aligned to a country’s population and disease burden, with retention of health workers given as much priority as increased production. Strengthening health systems is an essential part of the global effort to safeguard health for mothers and children, now and in the future.

scholarly journals Health workforce contributions to health system development: a platform for universal health coverage

2013 ◽  
Vol 91 (11) ◽  
pp. 874-880 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viroj Tangcharoensathien ◽  
Supon Limwattananon ◽  
Rapeepong Suphanchaimat ◽  
Walaiporn Patcharanarumol ◽  
Krisada Sawaengdee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health System ◽  
Universal Health Coverage ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
System Development ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
Universal Health

scholarly journals Policy dialogue as a collaborative tool for multistakeholder health governance: a scoping study

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Suppl 7) ◽  
pp. e002161
Author(s):  
Emilie Robert ◽  
Dheepa Rajan ◽  
Kira Koch ◽  
Alyssa Muggleworth Weaver ◽  
Denis Porignon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health System ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Universal Health Coverage ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Collaborative Governance ◽  
Development Aid ◽  
Policy Dialogue ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
Scoping Study ◽  
Universal Health

IntroductionHealth system governance is the cornerstone of performant, equitable and sustainable health systems aiming towards universal health coverage. Global health actors have increasingly been using policy dialogue (PD) as a governance tool to engage with both state and non-state stakeholders. Despite attempts to frame PD practices, it remains a catch-all term for both health systems professionals and researchers.MethodWe conducted a scoping study on PD. We identified 25 articles published in English between 1985 and 2017 and 10 grey literature publications. The analysis was guided by the following questions: (1) How do the authors define PD? (2) What do we learn about PD practices and implementation factors? (3) What are the specificities of PD in low-income and middle-income countries?ResultsThe analysis highlighted three definitions of policy dialogue: a knowledge exchange and translation platform, a mode of governance and an instrument for negotiating international development aid. Success factors include the participants’ continued and sustained engagement throughout all the relevant stages, their ability to make a constructive contribution to the discussions while being truly representative of their organisation and their high interest and stake in the subject. Prerequisites to ensuring that participants remained engaged were a clear process, a shared understanding of the goals at all levels of the PD and a PD approach consistent with the PD objective. In the context of development aid, the main challenges lie in the balance of power between stakeholders, the organisational or technical capacity of recipient country stakeholders to drive or contribute effectively to the PD processes and the increasingly technocratic nature of PD.ConclusionPD requires a high level of collaborative governance expertise and needs constant, although not necessarily high, financial support. These conditions are crucial to make it a real driver of health system reform in countries’ paths towards universal health coverage.

scholarly journals Sustainable development goals, universal health coverage and equity in health systems: the Orang Asli commons approach

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. S. Wong ◽  
P. Allotey ◽  
D. D. Reidpath
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Health System ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Universal Health Coverage ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
Equity In Health ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Universal Health

Universal health coverage is a key health target in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that has the means to link equitable social and economic development. As a concept firmly based on equity, it is widely accepted at international and national levels as important for populations to attain ‘health for all’ especially for marginalised groups. However, implementing universal coverage has been fraught with challenges and the increasing privatisation of health care provision adds to the challenge because it is being implemented in a health system that rests on a property regime that promotes inequality. This paper asks the question, ‘What does an equitable health system look like?’ rather than the usual ‘How do you make the existing health system more equitable?’ Using an ethnographic approach, the authors explored via interviews, focus group discussions and participant observation a health system that uses the commons approach such as which exists with indigenous peoples and found features that helped make the system intrinsically equitable. Based on these features, the paper proposes an alternative basis to organise universal health coverage that will better ensure equity in health systems and ultimately contribute to meeting the SDGs.

scholarly journals 20.F. Workshop: Dental care – coverage and access across countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
North America ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Universal Health Coverage ◽  
Dental Care ◽  
Financial Protection ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
Universal Health

Abstract Oral health is a central element of general health with significant impact in terms of pain, suffering, impairment of function and reduced quality of life. Although most oral disease can be prevented by health promotion strategies and routine access to primary oral health care, the GBD study 2017 estimated that oral diseases affect over 3.5 billion people worldwide (Watt et al, 2019). Given the importance of oral health and its potential contribution to achieving universal health coverage (UHC), it has received increased attention in public health debates in recent years. However, little is known about the large variations across countries in terms of service delivery, coverage and financing of oral health. There is a lack of international comparison and understanding of who delivers oral health services, how much is devoted to oral health care and who funds the costs for which type of treatment (Eaton et al., 2019). Yet, these aspects are central for understanding the scope for improvement regarding financial protection against costs of dental care and equal access to services in each country. This workshop aims to present the comparative research on dental care coverage in Europe, North America and Australia led by the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. Three presentations will look at dental care coverage using different methods and approaches. They will compare how well the population is covered for dental care especially within Europe and North America considering the health systems design and expenditure level on dental care, using the WHO coverage cube as analytical framework. The first presentation shows results of a cross-country Health Systems in Transition (HiT) review on dental care. It provides a comparative review and analysis of financing, coverage and access in 31 European countries, describing the main trends also in the provision of dental care. The second presentation compares dental care coverage in eight jurisdictions (Australia (New South Wales), Canada (Alberta), England, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and the United States) with a particular focus on older adults. The third presentation uses a vignette approach to map the extent of coverage of dental services offered by statutory systems (social insurance, compulsory insurance, NHS) in selected countries in Europe and North America. This workshop provides the opportunity of a focussed discussion on coverage of dental care, which is often neglected in the discussion on access to health services and universal health coverage. The objectives of the workshop are to discuss the oral health systems in an international comparative setting and to draw lessons on best practices and coverage design. The World Conference on Public Health is hence a good opportunity for this workshop that contributes to frame the discussion on oral health systems in a global perspective. Key messages There is large degree of variation in the extent to which the costs of dental care are covered by the statutory systems worldwide with implications for oral health outcomes and financial protection. There is a need for a more systematic collection of oral health indicators to make analysis of reliable and comparable oral health data possible.

scholarly journals Analyzing efforts to synergize the global health agenda of universal health coverage, health security and health promotion: a case-study from Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amare Worku Tadesse ◽  
Kassu Ketema Gurmu ◽  
Selamawit Tesfaye Kebede ◽  
Mahlet Kifle Habtemariam
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Global Health ◽  
Health System ◽  
Universal Health Coverage ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
Health Security ◽  
Universal Health ◽  
Health Agenda

Abstract Background Evidence exists about synergies among universal health coverage, health security and health promotion. Uniting these three global agendas has brought success to the country’s health sector. This study aimed to document the efforts Ethiopia has made to apply nationally synergistic approaches uniting these three global health agendas. Our study is part of the Lancet Commission on synergies between these global agendas. Methods We employed a case study design to describe the synergistic process in the Ethiopian health system based on a review of national strategies and policy documents, and key informant interviews with current and former policymakers, and academics. We analyzed the “hardware” (using the World Health Organization’s building blocks) and the “software” (ideas, interests, and power relations) of the Ethiopian health system according to the aforementioned three global agendas. Results Fragmentation of health system primarily manifested as inequities in access to health services, low health workforce and limited capacity to implementation guidelines. Donor driven vertical programs, multiple modalities of health financing, and inadequate multisectoral collaborations were also found to be key features of fragmentation. Several approaches were found to be instrumental in fostering synergies within the global health agenda. These included strong political and technical leadership within the government, transparent coordination, and engagement of stakeholders in the process of priority setting and annual resource mapping. Furthermore, harmonization and alignment of the national strategic plan with international commitments, joint financial arrangements with stakeholders and standing partnership platforms facilitated efforts for synergy. Conclusions Ethiopia has implemented multiple approaches to overcome fragmentation. Such synergistic efforts of the primary global health agendas have made significant contributions to the improvement of the country’s health indicators and may promote sustained functionality of the health system.

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