Community context of health system development: implications for health sector reform in Pakistan

To describe local sociopolitical and organizational factors that influence health system development in Karachi, Pakistan, we conducted participant observation while working with health providers and communities in one urban district to reorient services towards a primary health care district health system. We found that the community characteristics, particularly the diverse socialpolitical and cultural make-up and organizational complexity that involved multiple levels of government, influenced efforts towards collaboration and shaped the development of the health system. We conclude that for effective implementation of health sector reform there is a need to comprehend fully the community context and complexity of existing health service provision

Social and health sector reform towards 2040 in Japan

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the health sector reform toward 2040 of Japan as a super-aged society.Design/methodology/approachThis paper discusses the current healthcare policies adopted in Japan and projects the challenges in future as a super-aged society.FindingsThrough Japanese experiences, it is considered that Community-based Integrated Care System is useful, which takes into account the perspective of health care users. Being a super-aged society, it is essential for Japan to have more consensus by further removing obstacles, and paying attention to the change of paradigm and the purpose of care.Originality/valueBased on the case of Japan, this paper serves as a reference for other East Asian countries, which would sooner or later encounter the similar situation of becoming super-aged societies in the 21st century.

Correction to: Increase of catastrophic health expenditure while it does not have socio-economic anymore; finding from a district on Tehran after recent extensive health sector reform

In the original publication of this article [1], the title should be revised as blow:

From Social Justice to Economic Logic: The World Health Organization and Health Sector Reform in Nigeria, 1993–2007

This article examines the role of the World Health Organization (WHO) in global health governance, particularly in the area of health sector reform. This is a demonstration of its strategic adaptation to the aspirations of wealthy member states and other external forces, such as the World Bank. The article argues that this change in strategic adaptation dramatically undercut the aspiration of the WHO and facilitated the encroachment of economic logic into matters of emerging regimes of global governance of the WHO, by emphasizing the importance of health for economic development rather than as a fundamental part of a nation’s social development. This accounted for the immense technical and financial support the WHO gave to health sector reform in developing countries, particularly Nigeria, to promote equity and access to health services. It concludes that remarkable progress was made through the comprehensive health sector reform largely due to the support from the WHO. What remains to be done is for Nigeria to keep faith with the principles of the Comprehensive Health Sector Reform Programme.