Strengthening health systems
Strategies to fight diseases and reduce maternal and infant mortality can only be sustainably effective if they are supported by strengthened health systems which must be equipped with qualified and sufficient human resources, adequate long-term financing, drugs available to all, infrastructure maintained and sufficiently equipped, efficient information systems etc. Health systems must also be based on effective health policies, sound financial circuits, equitable healthcare payment mechanisms and public-private partnerships capitalizing on the private sector’s skills.
Financing health systems
Health financing must mobilize the resources necessary to implement prevention measures and medical care in order to meet the needs of the population. It is clear that resources available from households, public authorities or third-party payers are severely lacking in developing countries. A priority objective is to increase them, but this can only be envisaged together with improving healthcare delivery which itself alone can make people feel like seeking treatment.
Human resource management
The crisis in human resources is nothing new in health problematics in developing countries, but the AIDS epidemic has shown the real extent of it. Indeed, in some countries AIDS badly affects health personnel while health systems are overwhelmed by the flow of patients. In addition to AIDS-related issues, one of the most acute problems the health system must face is the migration of public sector staff to both the private sector and from South to North countries. This trend may not be systematically quantified but it has been increasingly apparent over the past years. North countries face huge shortages in medical and nursing staff and offer executives from South countries a sustainable opportunity to practise.
Providing medical goods and services
In addition to issues concerning human and financial resources, strengthening health systems in developing countries involves providing quality delivery of health goods and services. This includes improving supply and distribution systems for drugs and vaccines, constructing or rehabilitating health infrastructure, general healthcare organization, hospital reforms and contractualizing public-private partnerships.