The Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research

The Alliance 2009 Flagship Report:
Systems Thinking for Health Systems Strengthening

Today in Havana, Cuba at the Global Forum for Health Research, the Alliance will launch its latest flagship report. Entitled "Systems Thinking for Health Systems Strengthening," the report offers a fresh and practical approach to strengthening health systems through "systems thinking". This powerful tool first decodes the complexity of a health system, and then applies that understanding to design better interventions to strengthen health systems, increase coverage, and improve health.
The report suggests ways to more realistically forecast how health systems might respond to strengthening interventions, while also exploring potential synergies and dangers among those interventions. Additionally it shows how better evaluations of health system strengthening initiatives can yield valuable lessons about what works, how it works and for whom. It is hoped that this report will deepen understanding and stimulate fresh thinking among stewards of health systems, health systems researchers, and development partners.

The Alliance would like to warmly invite all participants at the Global Forum for Health Research in Havana, Cuba, to attend the formal launch of this report on Tuesday, November 17 from 13:15 − 14:00 in Room 4 at the International Conference Centre in Havana (Palacio de Convenciones de la Havana). The session will be chaired by Sania Nishtar, Founding President of Heartfile in Pakistan and an Alliance Board member. Speakers include Lindiwe Makubalo (Exectuive Director a.i., Alliance HPSR), Don de Savigny (Professor and Head, Interventions & Health Systems Research Unit, Swiss Tropical Institute) and John-Arne Rottingen (Chief Executive, Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services, Norway and an Alliance Board member).
In addition to receiving a copy of the Report, the Alliance will also provide a small package containing a short overview of the report and a CD featuring the report in both English and Spanish.

The flagship report can be downloaded in English and in Spanish on the following link.

Note: the flagship report will be available in French in December 2009.

The Alliance welcomes comments on the report − and encourages suggestions on the development of future reports.

WHAT IS THE ALLIANCE HPSR?

The Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research is an international collaboration based in the WHO Geneva. It has its origins in the recommendations of the 1996 report of WHO's Ad Hoc Committee on Health Research which identified lack of health policy and systems research as a key problem impeding the improvement of health outcomes in low and middle income countries. It aims to promote the generation and use of health policy and systems research as a means to improve the health systems of developing countries.

Health policy and systems research (HPSR) has been defined as the production and application of knowledge to improve how societies organize themselves in order to achieve health goals. It encompasses how societies plan, manage and finance health services as well as investigation of the role and interests of different actors in the health system. HPSR is a topic area, not a discipline and draws upon a variety of contributing disciplines, including economics, sociology, anthropology, political science and epidemiology.

The Alliance gratefully acknowledges funding from the Department for International Development (DFID, United Kingdom), the Australian Government's overseas aid program (AusAID), the International Development Research Center (IDRC, Canada), the Government of Norway and Sida-SAREC (Sweden).

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The Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research
20 avenue Appia,
1211 Geneva
Switzerland
Tel.: +41 22 791 2973
Fax: +41 22 791 4817
E-mail: alliancehpsr@who.int