An Introduction to Health Planning for Developing Health Systems

Health planning is a critical component when responding to the healthneeds of low and middle income countries, characterised by particularlystringent resource constraints. The major communicable diseases such as AIDS,TB and malaria often appear in parallel with growing non-communicable diseasesincluding heart disease and diabetes, and yet resources are often less than thelevels recommended by the World Health Organisation for basic health care.The new edition of this well-respected text explains the importance of healthplanning in both developing regions such as Africa, and those in transition,such as Central and Eastern Europe. It stresses the importance of understandingthe national and international context in which planning occurs, and provides anup to date analysis of the major current policy issues, including healthreforms. Separate chapters are dedicated to the distinct issues of finance forhealth care and human resource planning. The various techniques used at eachstage of the planning process are explained, starting with the situationalanalysis and then looking in turn at priority-setting, option appraisal,programming, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. The book ends byexamining the challenges facing planners in the 21st century, particularly inthe light of growing globalisation. A major theme of the book is the need torecognise and reconcile the inevitable tension that lies between valuejudgements and 'rational' decision-making. As such, in addition to introducingtechniques such as costing and economic appraisal, it also outlines techniquessuch as stakeholder analysis for understanding the relative attitudes and powerof different groups in planning decisions.Each chapter includes a comprehensive bibliography (including key websites), asummary, and exercises to help the reader practise techniques and betterunderstand the content. The book argues that all health professionals andcommunity groups should be involved in the planning process for it to beeffective, and will therefore appeal to anyone involved in planning.