Health system resilience during the pandemic: it’s mostly about governance

ABSTRACT

Governance is the most important enabler of health system functioning. It provides a foundation and lever for resource generation, financing, and service delivery and ensures they operate well and in coordination with the rest of the system. It also extends beyond the health system through interactions between levels and actors. While there is no unanimously accepted framework for assessing governance, country examples can be used to illustrate how governance has contributed to health systems resilience during the crisis. Good governance prior to the pandemic, underpinned by strong state capacity, political leadership and community engagement, is keyto responding resiliently during a novel infectious disease outbreak, such as COVID-19.