Planning for health system recovery: guidance for application in countries

Overview

Health system recovery from disruptive events presents a window of opportunity for substantial improvements, applying lessons from ongoing or past experiences with shocks to build back better. Therefore, in addition to facilitating restoration to the pre-shock state, health systems recovery processes including planning can also address pre-existing and ongoing gaps, weaknesses and inequities by facilitating continuous and systematic improvement leading to better performance and resilience.

This WHO technical product aims to support countries to prioritize and mainstream health system recovery through effective planning as part of efforts to build health system resilience in support of universal health coverage, health security and socioeconomic development. While this document is developed for application in recovery context, it is adaptable to other health system strengthening and reform processes initiated in recognition of gaps in health system functions, not necessarily in the context of a shock event.

The target audience is health authorities at national and subnational levels in countries, WHO, other United Nations agencies, technical partners, and donors with a role to support health systems in any context.