Eight years since its inaugural event in Montreux, and after visits to Beijing, Cape Town, and Vancouver, the Fifth Global Symposium on Health Systems Research (#HSR2018) arrives in the UK with over 2,200 policy makers, practitioners, advocates and researchers from more than 100 countries meeting in Liverpool from 8-12 October. Together with partners, IDS has been working to help convene this major global event and will be contributing to a number of key discussions taking place at the conference.
Working in partnership with Health Systems Global
IDS is an active and proud member of a consortium of UK partners that have co-convened HSR2018 with Health Systems Global (HSG), the World Health Organization, and the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research. HSG is the first international membership organisation dedicated to connecting the health systems research and policy community for the attainment of better health, equity and wellbeing.
The Global Symposium is the biennial centre piece of the health policy and systems (#HPSR) community. With over 230 sessions for which proposals were received from 57 countries, and 249 scholarships awarded to participants from low and middle income countries, the symposium has grown to become one of the largest and most diverse international gathering of its kind.
Keeping Universal Health Coverage high on the political agenda
HSR2018’s exploration of multi-sectoral action, the private sector’s role in health, leaving no one behind in pursuit of health for all, and strengthening community health systems, comes at a key time in the international calendar. High levels meetings at the UN General Assembly last month sought to further ignite efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of universal health coverage (UHC).
Less than two weeks after Liverpool, the Global Conference on Primary Health Care (PHC) in Kazakhstan will use the 40th anniversary of the Alma Ata Declaration which called for health as a human right as a platform to highlight and drive the importance of strengthening PHC as critical to UHC. Alma Ata 2.0 is expected to be ratified by the World Health Assembly next May.
IDS Researcher, Dr Gerry Bloom said:
“The Global Symposium on Health Systems Research is a key moment on the health research and policy calendar and IDS is delighted to be working with partners including Health Systems Global to convene this major event.
It is an opportunity to explore ways that research can contribute to an acceleration of progress towards the sustainability goal of universal health coverage. This will require new approaches for cooperation across academic disciplines and between researchers and those implementing changes.”
Join the discussion and meet with IDS in Liverpool
In Liverpool, IDS staff will be contributing to sessions on the likes engaging the private sector for UHC; barriers to UHC for indigenous populations; and antimicrobial use in pluralistic health systems. IDS will also be hosting a stand that will showcase the work the Institute does to bring a critical development perspective on issues affecting human health both in terms of its research and its world ranked postgraduate teaching and professional development learning programmes. (Stand number 58 in Hall 2 of the ACC venue).
Beyond Liverpool – Planning for the Sixth Global Symposium in Dubai in November 2020
And it doesn’t stop in Liverpool. The IDS team at the heart of the Health Systems Global secretariat has already begun preparations with partners for the Sixth Global Symposium in Dubai in November 2020. Watch this space for more information.