Global health initiatives and country health systems: Improving interactions to improve health outcomes
OpenForum | July 6, 2009 | 0 Comments
To what extent should global health initiatives work with country health systems in order to improve health? A recent Lancet report by the WHO Maximizing Positive Synergies Collaborative Group assesses the effects of such initiatives and suggests concrete steps for change.
The WHO Synergies group, which includes several FXB Center affiliates, examined the interactions between country health systems and global health initiatives (GHIs), also known as global public-private partnerships or global health partnerships. GHIs have become increasingly prominent players in the field of global health, particularly with respect to disease-specific treatment and eradication projects. Although GHIs have provided billions of dollars of funding for health projects and have led the way in responding to infectious disease epidemics, particularly HIV/AIDS and malaria, these initiatives have also been criticized for placing additional burdens on already weak country health systems and for introducing inefficiencies by duplicating functions already (nominally) provided by country health systems. Read more