PHSSR at the WHA - Partnership for Health System Sustainability and Resilience

From May 21 to 30, healthcare leaders and policy experts from around the world have converged in Geneva, Switzerland for the 76th World Health Assembly (WHA). The WHA is the decision-making body for the World Health Organization and, through this event, a series of strategic roundtable meetings are being held to discuss current and future priorities for public health issues of global importance. Members of the Partnership for Health System Sustainability and Resilience (PHSSR) leadership team were also in Geneva to share research insights and recommendations and promote cross-border and cross-sectoral collaboration with health system stakeholders.

The need to strengthen healthcare systems and improve resilience was a common theme interwoven among WHA agenda items that include plenary sessions on placing a stronger focus both on primary care to improve health system resilience, and policy options and cost-effective interventions for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases which are putting a growing strain on health systems globally. New research recently released through the PHSSR Summary Report on healthcare systems from 18 countries offers evidence-based insights and recommendations on these topics.

The PHSSR Summary Report identified:

A need for better care coordination around patients as many health systems concentrate activity and spending in hospitals, limiting the role of community-based services. Structural factors like poor digital infrastructure and payment models were also flagged as barriers to improvement.
The gaps in primary care service exposed by COVID-19 in many countries.
Low levels of health expenditure in the areas of prevention and early detection of non-communicable diseases and preventative care.

The Summary Report recommends strengthening primary care as this is crucial for improved coordination, with patients registering with a single GP for continuity of care. The report also cites the need for increased investment in primary care, health promotion, and collaborative efforts that can help to alleviate the growing burden of chronic diseases.

“The relationship between population health and the sustainability and resilience of health systems is reciprocal and intertwined. A healthy population places less strain on resources, lowers healthcare costs, and bolsters system sustainability.

Simultaneously, sustainable and resilient health systems, which provide adequate resources and adapt to challenges, significantly contribute to improved population health outcomes. This reciprocal relationship emphasises the need to address both population health and health system resilience in tandem to achieve lasting improvements.”

George Wharton

Senior Lecturer in Practice and Programme Director at LSE Department of Health Policy

These were just some of the areas of discussion during a PHSSR dinner at the WHA, co-hosted by the Permanent Representation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the UN Office and other International Organizations in Geneva, attended by 18 high level representatives from the healthcare sector across public, private and non-governmental organisations, including World Health Organization and World Bank. During the dinner, LSE presented the PHSSR Summary Report, and attendees discussed how acting on the recommendations could support developing global and national health policies.

For those looking for a more in-depth examination of these topics, the PHSSR Summary Report offers a comprehensive analysis organised into chapters across seven key domains: financing, governance, workforce, medicines and technology, service delivery, population health, and environmental sustainability. Each chapter of the report first reviews challenges identified in the 18 country reports, before moving onto strategies and recommendations for strengthening sustainability and resilience.

Bringing PHSSR to the 2023 World Health Assembly