Elizabeth was Mary's fifth child. She died at the age of three due to complications of malaria, at a clinic in San Pedro, one of the poorest municipalities in a hypothetical but all too real representative country. Why did Elizabeth die? What does health system strengthening have to do with saving her life? Elizabeth's death had everything to do with a broken health system in desperate need of repair. To better appreciate why health systems matter, read about Elizabeth, and think about how she might have been saved.

The World Bank assists our country partners in their efforts to strengthen health systems and reduce the number of 'Elizabeths' in the world. We work in a number of specific areas.

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