What We Do

Health system weaknesses are among the most important obstacles to countries achieving the MDGs for health (see Strengthening Health Systems to Reach the MDGs presentation). Health Systems 20/20 applies new and proven interventions in financing, governance, operations, and capacity building to strengthen health systems to increase use of priority health services. Consumers, providers, and health officials face multiple challenges that need to be addressed in an effort to prevent disease, improve health, and save lives. Health Systems 20/20 addresses these challenges by working in the following areas.

Organizational Capacity Building

Health Systems 20/20 takes a comprehensive view of capacity-building that includes developing competency in the core areas of organizational development, resource mobilization, technical assistance and training, organizational governance, management systems, and technical expertise.

Financial Risk Protection/Health Insurance

Health Systems 2020’s strategy for health insurance is to move countries along a transparent and responsible path towards universal health insurance coverage/financial risk protection in a sustainable manner.

Governance

A variety of problems that confront health systems relate to governance. The Health Systems 20/20 approach tackles both the demand (work with citizens and oversight entities inside and outside of government to enhance capacity to exercise voice) and the supply-side (strengthening the MOH and other health sector actors).

Human Resources for Health

Health Systems 20/20 conducts interventions in the areas of health care worker retention, productivity-improvement, incentives including pay-for-performance, human resource information systems, and workforce planning as part of a larger program of health systems strengthening.

Health Systems Assessment

The Health Systems Assessment Approach: A How-To Manual is used to provide a rapid yet comprehensive assessment of a country's health system.

Measuring Health Systems Performance

The Health Systems 20/20 strategy for measuring health systems performance is to provide and maximize the use of a set of innovative tools to measure performance in a standardized fashion.

Resource Tracking/National Health Accounts

The NHA is used to measure total public and private national health expenditures and allows planners and policymakers to better analyze and understand their country’s health financing system and make comparisons with the experiences of other nations. Health Systems 20/20 seeks to institutionalize NHA as a routine and normal function of government.

Pay for Performance

P4P provides incentives to service providers by linking payment to verified performance. Health Systems 20/20 provides global leadership that stimulates donors, technical assistance providers, and country policy leaders to support P4P approaches.

Financial Management

Health Systems 20/20 works with health sectors in developing countries to help solve financial management problems related to a lack of capacity and operational systems to effectively absorb and utilize funds.

HIV/AIDS

Health Systems 20/20 is working at the country level to conduct comprehensive analysis of available and required human resources to scale up and sustain HIV/AIDS services and to facilitate solutions to address human resource shortages.

Maternal and Child Health

To increase access and use of maternal and child health services, Health Systems 20/20 contributes to a variety of interventions with other partners.

Family Planning and Reproductive Health

Health Systems 20/20 supports effective family planning and reproductive health programs by assisting countries to improve policies and regulations, human resource capabilities, and health information systems, as well as increase financing options.

Malaria

Health System 20/20 is conducting a comprehensive study to investigate and address a series of user fee related policy questions in order to inform policymakers on the effects of user fees on providing and utilizing ACT treatment, particularly for children under five years of age in multiple countries.

Tuberculosis

Health Systems 20/20 is working at the country level to help countries strengthen their health systems to meet the challenges of delivering TB related services.