Health Systems and Health Workforce; Health Policy Flashcards
What are health systems and why should we care?
“A health system consists of all organizations, people and actions whose primary intent is to promote, restore or maintain health”
Care bc:
- Health is a massive industry, equaling almost a 10th of the world’s GDP
- More than 100 million people are impoverished, each year, as a result of health spending
- Extreme shortages of health workers exist in more than a third of countries worldwide
- Large inequalities persist – across rich and poor contexts
- Robust health systems have the potential to help, including during pandemics
What is service delivery?
How inputs and services are organized ad managed
Good service = effective, safe, quality care to those in need, with minimum waste
Prevention, treatment, rehabilitation
Delivered in home, community, workplace or health facilities
Key ingredients: trained staff, medicines and equipment, adequate financing
What is the health workforce?
All people who protect and improve health like health service providers, health management, and support workers
Public and private health sector, paid and unpaid, lay and professional cadres
What is a health information system?
It ensures the production, analysis, dissemination, and use of reliable and timely health information by decision-makers at different levels of the health system — on a regular basis and in emergencies
Describe sustainable financing and social protection.
Raises adequate funds for health, ensures that people can use services without financial catastrophe, achieves universal coverage – promotes effective and efficient mix of services
What is progressive financing?
Higher income groups contribute higher percentage of their income than do lower income groups
What is proportional financing?
Everyone contributes same percentage of income to funding of health care, irrespective of income
What is regressive financing?
Lower income groups contribute a higher percentage of their income than higher income groups
What are the stages of policy making?
How is the policy process different in LMICs?
- Relatively small number of elites with influence over policy
- Political instability and poor governance
- Many LMICs are post-conflict or have ongoing conflict
- Influence of international players
- Limited potential for civil society to engage (in some cases)
Who makes health policies?
Political elites
The State
Non-state actors (but tend to be in power)
Advocacy groups/civil society organizations
Social or people’s movements
What are some factors that influence the policy making process?
Situational: elections, end of conflict/war
Structural: political system, demographics, media, economy
Cultural: local perceptions and attitudes toward a certain disease or condition
Global: influence of international donors and foreign governments
Describe Shiffman’s framework for issue ascendance in global health
Policy community cohesion: Many different types of organizations coalesce around a common goal
Leadership: Having a champion for a cause defines the issue, inspires action, unites policy communities
Guiding institutions: Good for long-term sustainability i.e. PEPFAR
Civil society mobilization: Bottom-up pressure on political leaders
