Public-Sector Health Systems
A health system is the set of resources and activities that work together to improve the health of populations.
Health systems include "building blocks" such as a health workforce, health facilities where services are delivered, the drugs and technologies needed to provide care, information management systems, and the financing and leadership and governance structures to fund and manage the whole system. Underlying all of this are the people who use the health system. Their needs should drive the system to continually improve and evolve.
We believe that governments are best positioned to provide high-quality, comprehensive health care to all citizens. That's why our in-country programs involve close partnerships with ministries of health to support their efforts and improve care for all, especially the poor and vulnerable.
We also work on other fronts to highlight the value and the potential of the public sector in health.
Our efforts include:
• Supporting public-sector health workers and reducing brain drain
• An NGO Code of Conduct for Health Systems Strengthening
• Shaping foreign aid and other funding policies to better support the public sector
Why the public sector?
Governments lacking a functioning health system are unable to scale up to deliver key health services, even if medications and equipment are donated. Understandably, this sparks a sense of urgency to find other ways to deliver those services.
The alternative that has emerged is to channel money instead to the private sector for service delivery, including to NGOs and for-profit companies. In the quest to see progress, international donors often fund disease-specific and time-limited services. These programs may deliver results in the short term, but they lead to fragmented and inefficient health care, and risk leaving communities with nothing again when the funding runs out.
The public sector holds the most promise for providing comprehensive, quality, equity-based health care across an entire country, avoiding duplication and ensuring coverage. No matter where a person lives, he or she deserves the chance for a healthy life.