WHO
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Health systems governance

    Overview

    Health systems governance refers to the way in which a country manages and oversees its health system. It involves the structures, policies and processes that guide decision-making and actions within the health sector. Essentially, it is about how the different components of a health system work together under a set of rules and leadership to achieve common health goals and improve population health.

    It addresses issues such as:

    • How are health-care decisions made?
    • Are citizens involved and do they have the chance to participate in health decision-making?
    • Are policies designed to ensure fairness and equal access in the health system?
    • How is the involvement of other governmental sectors and actors, such as the private health sector, managed to ensure transparency and accountability?
    WHO response

    WHO works with countries on enhancing their governance capacities for effective health leadership and engagement within the health sector and beyond.

    WHO is supporting countries by:

    • advocating for increased civil society and multistakeholder engagement in the formulation and implementation of health policies;
    • encouraging governments to enhance transparency and accountability mechanisms within their health systems, particularly when engaging with private sector entities;
    • conducting reviews of existing health governance models and mechanisms in the WHO European Region to identify and share best practices;
    • strengthening their capacity to work across governmental sectors to develop policies that promote health equity and well-being.

    Our work

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    Supporting countries in developing and implementing health policies

    Supporting countries in developing and implementing health policies

    WHO
    © Credits

    Overview

    WHO supports countries in developing and implementing health policies, strategies and plans. A coherent health policy can improve the use of resources for health and enable long-term, sustainable improvements by:

    • moving towards universal health coverage;
    • going beyond the boundaries of health systems to address the social determinants of health and interactions among the health sector and other sectors in society; and
    • strengthening health security.

    What are health policies?

    Policies are governing instruments that help define and achieve goals. Policies can be made at different levels, from national to local. Policies made in the public sector affect people, institutions, organizations, services and funding arrangements. In the broad sense, they include strategies and plans that contain a country’s vision, policy directions and strategies for ensuring the health of its population.

    Sound and effective policies, strategies and plans are developed through highly complex and dynamic processes involving the whole of government and the whole of society, taking into account specific political, historical and socioeconomic contexts. The development of health policies should be value-based and grounded in evidence.

    What is WHO’s work in the development and implementation of policies?

    WHO has a long track record of supporting countries in developing health policies, strategies and plans through country-level technical cooperation, facilitation of national policy dialogues and intercountry exchanges, and the development of normative guidance and policy frameworks.

    Key areas of work include:

    • providing and mobilizing technical support in the development and implementation of national health policies, strategies and plans;
    • enabling optimal engagement of all relevant partners in the development and implementation of health policies, strategies and plans;
    • building capacity for the development of policies that can be implemented and monitored;
    • keeping track of key issues and trends and producing analyses, reports, tools and scientific publications pertaining to health and development policies, strategies and plans; and
    • supporting the organization and facilitation of policy dialogues with a specific focus on health policy development and intersectoral governance for health.

    Publications

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    Making social participation central to health system governance: policy lessons from the field

    Promoting and sustaining social participation are crucial for creating health systems that deliver health for all. Through a selection of country case...

    Strengthening the Program of Medical Guarantees in Ukraine: options for improved processes, transparency and accountability

    Governance is a critical building block of the health system, with the overarching function of ensuring that strategic policy frameworks exist and are...

    Documents

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