Governance and health
Health systems are strongly influenced by the institutional framework within which they operate. This section of the resource guide explores some of the relationships that influence provision of health services.
The government plays a central role in establishing the institutional framework for the health sector. It provides broad policy directions. It defines the terms and conditions of public sector employment and the relationship between central and local governments and providers of health services. It also legislates and enforces regulations to prevent dangerous practices and protect the public.
A wide variety of organisations have a stake in the health sector, including bodies that represent different categories of health workers, groups of users of services and non-governmental providers of services. Their behaviour strongly influences the implementation of health policies and they need to be involved in decisions that affect their members.
Users of health services also influence providers. One way to make them more effective is to provide information on the kinds of services they require and on the performance of health facilities. Another way is to provide mechanisms through which they can voice their concerns and participate in monitoring provider performance.
For more information on wider governance issues, see the Governance and Social Development Resource Centre.
Latest Documents
- Is performance-based financing a strategic tool to reform the health sector in developing countries?
- M. Ireland; E. Paul; B. Dujardin / Bulletin of the World Health Organization : the International Journal of Public Health, 2011
- Over the past 15 years, performance-based financing (PBF) has been implemented in an increasing number of developing countries as a means of improving health worker performance. This article resists viewing PBF as a strategic tool to ...
- Health-financing reforms in seven south-east -Asian countries
- V. Tangcharoensathien; W. Patcharanarumol; P. Ir / The Lancet, 2011
- Health-financing reforms in seven south-east-Asian countries are reviewed in this study. Those countries have sought to reduce dependence on out-of-pocket payments, increase pooled health finance, and expand service, stepping towards ...
- Innovative health care financing policies in Rwanda
- C. Sekabaraga; F. Diop; A. Soucat / Oxford Journals, 2011
- Ensuring financial access to health services is a critical challenge for poor countries if they are to reach the health Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This article examines the case of Rwanda, a country which has championed inno...
- The role of CSOs in global health governance
- K. Lee / Journal of Global Health Governance, 2010
- Amid discussion of how global health governance (GHG) should and could be strengthened, the potential role of civil society organisations (CSOs) has been frequently raised. This paper considers the role of CSOs in four health governan...
- Critical elements to meet global health challenges
- M.E. Kruk / Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 2010
- Globalisation creates health disparities between its beneficiaries and losers. This paper explores the effects of globalisation on health equity, assessing the influence of the new architecture of global health governance on the respo...
- An international legal framework for collective human rights
- B.M. Meier; A.M. Fox / Health and Human Rights, 2010
- It is clear that many developing state governments cannot realise the health of their peoples without international cooperation. Therefore, the current paper proposes an international legal framework for collective human rights that o...
- Global health governance is essential
- L.O. Gostin; M. Heywood; G. Ooms / Scientific Electronic Library Online Brazil, 2010
- The World Health Organisation (WHO) perceives health to be “a shared responsibility”, but global health actors often act out of self-interest rather than adopting harmonised approaches. This article notes that the joint le...
- Challenges to adequate and equitable provision of quality health care in fragile states
- Virginia Barbour; Jocalyn Clark; Susan Jones / PLoS Medicine, 2011
- This paper argues that while health care systems are necessary in all countries, the importance of strong health care systems to fragile nations, and the damage done to these systems during conflict, receive less attention than they s...
- The role of national and international health workers after the 2010 earthquake in haiti
- Kelly A; Roberts J / Merlin, 2011
- Whereas all disasters are a health issue with national health workers at the heart of every response, this report on the role of national and international health workers after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti signals a need to rethink ho...
- How helath systems can contribute to peace
- J. Pedersen / Institute for Applied International Studies, Norway, 2009
- The four horsemen of the Apocalypse – Pestilence, Famine, War and Death –illustrate in many ways obvious connection between health and armed conflict. The purpose of this paper is to show how these four horsemen work toget...
