Health Care Systems in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Health care systems need organizational direction, physical plants, and fiscal resources to deliver services to their constituents. This article addresses how or whether these needs are being met in low- and middle-income countries. Over the past 10 years, debates on global health have paid increasing attention to the importance of health care systems, which encompass the institutions, organizations, and resources (physical, financial, and human) assembled to deliver health care services that meet population needs. It has become especially important to emphasize health care systems in low- and middle-income countries because of the substantial external funding provided for disease-specific programs, especially for drugs and medical supplies, and the relative underfunding of the broader health care infrastructures in these countries.(1) A functioning health care system is fundamental to the achievement of universal coverage for health ...