Training Course on Comparative Health Systems

Module 1 – Introduction to Health Systems and Comparative Frameworks
Subtopics:
Defining health systems: WHO building blocks.
Why compare health systems? Benefits and limitations.
Frameworks for health systems analysis (WHO, World Bank, OECD).
Key performance indicators: equity, efficiency, quality, access, sustainability.
Overview of health system typologies: Beveridge, Bismarck, National Health Insurance, Private models.
Practical Activities:
Case Study: Comparison of two global health system models.
Group Exercise: Mapping a country’s health system using the WHO building blocks.

Module 2 – Health Financing Models and Economic Perspectives
Subtopics:
Sources of healthcare financing: taxation, social health insurance, private insurance, out-of-pocket payments, donor funding.
Universal health coverage (UHC) financing pathways.
Trade-offs between equity, efficiency, and sustainability.
Catastrophic health expenditures and financial protection.
Innovations in health financing (PPP models, results-based financing, health savings accounts).
Practical Activities:
Simulation: Allocating a national health budget across competing priorities.
Case Example: Comparing health financing systems in the UK, USA, and Rwanda.

Module 3 – Governance, Regulation, and Workforce Organization
Subtopics:
Role of governments, NGOs, and private sector in health governance.
Regulatory approaches: accreditation, licensing, quality assurance.
Health workforce planning: distribution, task-shifting, retention.
Decentralization and its effects on health service delivery.
Accountability and transparency in health systems.
Practical Activities:
Group Work: Designing a regulatory framework for a fragile health system.
Case Study: Governance challenges in decentralized systems (e.g., Kenya, India).

Module 4 – Service Delivery Models and Health Information Systems
Subtopics:
Primary healthcare vs. hospital-centric systems.
Integration of public health and clinical care.
Health information systems: data for decision-making.
Digital health innovations and e-health adoption.
Quality improvement strategies across health systems.
Practical Activities:
Exercise: Designing a service delivery model for rural vs. urban populations.
Case Example: How digital health strengthened surveillance during COVID-19.

Module 5 – Comparative Case Studies and Future Trends
Subtopics:
Comparative review of high-income, middle-income, and low-income country health systems.
Impact of socio-political contexts on health reforms.
Health system resilience in emergencies (epidemics, climate change, conflict).
Global trends: aging populations, migration, globalization, and health.
Emerging innovations: telehealth, AI in healthcare, regional health integration.
Practical Activities:
Capstone Project: Participants select two countries and conduct a comparative health system analysis, presenting recommendations for adaptation in
their own context.
Panel Discussion: What lessons can low- and middle-income countries draw from high-income systems—and vice versa?

Course Outcomes
By the end of the training, participants will:
Gain deep knowledge of global health system models.
Understand financing, governance, and delivery trade-offs.
Be equipped to conduct comparative health system analysis.
Identify adaptable best practices for strengthening health systems.
Produce a comparative case study analysis as a capstone deliverable.
Receive a certificate of completion.