Cost of care, shortage of healthcare workers, regulatory and policy challenges, and infrastructure gaps are among the quality issues plaguing a fragmented healthcare system. This third session in our series explored the application of quality improvements in health systems from point-of-care to broader health system organizational functions. These encompassed functions such as supervision, management, payment processes, regulatory frameworks, resources allocation, information flow, and more. Lively conversations revolved around the need to discern the most pertinent problems to address and accurately define the right challenges. The discussions highlighted the necessity of assessing how the system caters to users and emphasized the importance of using data to inform current and future quality investments and interventions —particularly regarding equitable access to all populations segments.
Industry leaders from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, USAID Local Health System Sustainability Project, and USAID Integrated Health Program-Democratic Republic of the Congo explored barriers to providing quality healthcare across the globe and what could be done to infuse quality into health systems.
MODERATOR:
- Midori de Habich, Technical Director, USAID-funded Local Health System Sustainability Project, Abt Global
PANELISTS
- Dr. Margaret Kruk, Professor of Health Systems at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, MD, MPH, FACP
- M. Rashad Massoud, MD, MPH, FACP, Visiting Faculty, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health
- Dr. Houleymata Diarra, Chief of Party, USAID Integrated Health Program, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Find out more about The Future of Health Systems series--and register for upcoming events!
Additional Resources
Expanding Private Health Services for Benin’s Women and Children
Maternal and child mortality remain high in Benin despite improvements over the past two decades. The country has an unmet need for reproductive, maternal, neonatal, and children’s health (RMNCH) services—including malaria prevention for pregnant women,…
Abt Leads USAID’s Integrated Health Program in the DRC
Despite progress in health indicators, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remains among the lowest-ranked countries in health outcomes such as maternal and neonatal mortality and vaccination coverage. Root causes include fiscal and capacity…
Improving Access to Basic Services in Senegal
Senegal’s government services in education, health, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) face continued challenges that slow the country’s progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Lack of access to data-driven systems prevents…
Local Health System Sustainability Project (LHSS)
Low- and middle-income countries are committed to universal health coverage (UHC) and better primary health care but they sometimes need targeted support to get there. Governments and health providers have to become more accountable. Health financing…
USAID Health Financing Improvement Program
Ethiopia has made much progress in the design and implementation of health care financing (HCF) reforms. These reforms address growing needs for health services, health sector resource constraints, quality of care concerns, and financial barriers to…
Strengthening Service Delivery Systems in Northern Ghana
Ghana has made tremendous gains in improving its citizens’ wellbeing, halving the number of people living in poverty and improving chronic malnutrition rates. Yet Northern Ghana lags, as it is home to 75% of the country’s poorest citizens, and food…
Strengthening Systems for Better Health in Nepal
While Nepal has successfully reduced overall mortality among mothers and children under five, there is still room for improvement in equitable delivery of quality maternal, child, newborn, and reproductive health services.