The World Bank (Health Nutrition, and Population (HNP), World Bank Institute (WBI), Health Systems Global Expert Team (HSGET)), along with The GAVI Alliance and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (Global Fund), hosted a Technical Workshop on Health System Strengthening in Washington D.C. from June 25 to June 27. The meeting was called in response to the High Level Task Force on Innovative International Financing for Health Systems recommendation that the three organizations create a platform for more effective Health System Strengthening. This workshop was the first joint action by the World Bank, GAVI and the Global Fund to meet the Task Force’s call.

Workshop organizations wrote five papers and put forth the following four questions for consideration:

• What constitutes health systems strengthening?
• What elements are needed to contribute to progress and success in health systems strengthening?
• What are the roles of capacity building and leadership development for health system strengthening? What constitutes a solid capacity building strategy for HSS?
• How can health system strengthening actions and results be better measured?

These questions were not posed with the intention of finding definitive answers, but with the idea of soliciting input on the importance and weight that should be given to these issues and how to move forward on the Task Force’s recommendation. Participants from Ministries of Health, representatives from Europe and Central Asia (ECA), Africa, South Asia and Latin America, Health Systems Experts from WHO, The Global Fund, GAVI, Harvard, The World Bank, and Representatives of European and U.S. Donor Agencies and Representatives from International Civil Society Organizations spent two and half days listening to various presentations and perspective and debating these questions.

The workshop proved very useful in drawing out a diversity of views on Health Systems and Health Systems Strengthening. A couple of points became clear – that while there are a variety of HS frameworks they tend to have common elements; there was little enthusiasm for developing a new “common” HS framework or for more “debate” among frameworks. But participants also expressed that there is value in understanding what HSS means to the various donors and in those organizations enumerating what exactly they are funding through their HSS windows. Participants were also strong in their insistence that, in moving forward with any joint mechanism, the country perspective must take center stage.

Background papers, presentations and session notes can all be found below. Summary notes and an outline of next steps in particular can be found in the Day 3 power-points. Please contact Peter Berman (pberman@worldbank.org) or Katherine Brouhard (kbrouhard@worldbank.org) with any questions or feedback.

• Concept Note: Health System Strengthening (PDF 239kb)

Session Notes

• Workshop on Health System Strengthening: Session Notes (PDF 336kb)