Transforming Primary Health Care through Health Systems Strengthening

Learn how to build better health systems.

In this course, you’ll explore the complexity of health systems and apply systems thinking to health systems strengthening (HSS). You’ll critique major health system frameworks, analyse health system inequities, and interrogate the evidence for HSS approaches. You’ll be equipped with the knowledge and skills to support and collaborate in HSS across areas such as health policy, health financing, human resources, supply chain management, quality of care and private sector engagement. This course was developed by the Nossal Institute and UNICEF to equip UNICEF staff to work in HSS; now it’s open to you.

This course would suit middle and high-level health professionals, including health administrators and policy makers, doctors, nurses and others who work to shape health systems. The course focuses primarily on low and middle income country contexts.

• Introduction to Health Systems Strengthening
• Course introduction
• The history of Health Systems Strengthening (HSS)
• Current frameworks for health systems strengthening
• Players and power in health systems
• Putting it all together - week 1 summary
• Equity in health system strengthening
• Defining equity
• Addressing inequities in health systems
• Tools to guide an equity focused approach
• Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) Actions at Different Levels
• National health systems and health system planning
• District health systems
• Community health systems
• Intervening across the system
• Health Financing
• Principles of health financing and the Universal Health Coverage agenda
• Funding health care: where does the money come from?
• Follow the money: undertaking a fiscal space analysis
• Human resources for health
• The health workforce: who are they and where are they?
• The health workforce: roles, motivations and incentives.
• The health workforce: management and regulation
• Quality of care
• Quality of care: definitions and frameworks
• The link between quality of care and health systems strengthening
• How do we measure the quality of care?
• System strategies for improving quality of care
• Managing a mixed health system
• Examining mixed health systems
• The private sector: characteristics and roles
• Getting the public-private mix right
• Bringing it all together