HSG is pleased to announce the theme and sub-themes for the 7th Global Symposium on Health Systems Research to be held in Bogotá, Colombia from October 31 – November 4, 2022.
“Health Systems Performance in the Political Agenda: Sharing lessons for current and future global challenges”.
Health systems face significant challenges all around the world and the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic reveals just how valuable strong health systems are to society. It has also been laying bare weaknesses in service provision; intersectoral action; information systems; and governance, including community engagement in low-, middle- and high-income settings alike. What is clear, now more than ever, is that trust and solidarity are the central and most important values from which to build back stronger, more resilient health systems.
The 7th Global Symposium must face the challenge of optimally sharing – and learning from – the experiences of the last two years.
The stress that health systems have faced, and the varying degrees of success they encountered during the pandemic, can only be truly understood through the lens of systems thinking. Complex interactions between politics, policy, and service provision have translated into priority-setting processes, where vulnerable and already marginalized populations become more excluded from participating in decision-making processes. The role that global supply chains play, as well as the ability that state and non-state actors have in influencing policy, calls for reflection on how the concept of power must be considered in policy development; intersectoral approaches; and the role that communities and individuals play. In addition, the ability to learn, both from our own experiences and that of other country contexts, will be central for responding to this and future pandemics.
Key considerations:
- Strong health systems are built on the solid foundation of primary health care, requiring empowered communities and strong, responsive, and equitable public and private health facilities that reflect local needs and values.
- The capacity to analyze and respond to new research and emerging knowledge within the health system must be central to responding to existing and future health needs.
- A focus must be placed on the essential role that values such as trust, solidarity, equity, and social justice will play moving forward.
- An understanding of how to deal with structural issues that all health systems face and learn about how different contexts tackled challenges related to how the larger social, political, and economic determinants of health shape service provision; the training and deployment of human resources for health and how valuable they are in light of their role during the pandemic; and how the intersection of politics and health policy influence the quality of care that we can all access.
HSR2022 will explore the following sub-themes:
- The politics and policies of health systems
- Intersectoral collaboration and integrative governance on the road for health in all policies
- The changing dynamics of health provision models to promote equity and the central role of human resources for health
- The role of comprehensive primary care in promoting sustainability and the contribution of new technologies
HSR2022 will be a catalytic forum through which to share knowledge and experiences, raise awareness and advocate for change, build capacity, and develop partnerships for action.
Whether you are involved in policy, practice, research, advocacy, or education; whether you are concerned about health systems, humanitarian health, social protection, environmental sustainability, ethics, political economy, social science or media, we invite you to join us to learn, share, and inform the transformation to stronger, more resilient health systems.
Read the full theme document and explore the structural and contextual components of each sub-theme. Available in English, Spanish, and French.
Stay tuned for more information on the calls for abstracts and be on the lookout for more news about HSR2022 on the HSG website, email newsletter, and social channels (#HSR2022).