Governance and management of public health programmes

Abstract

Abstract Good Governance and effective management are critical to the performance of health systems and of public health programs. Public health governance and management have to be understood as a whole to appreciate the rich, dynamic interactions and complexities that characterize it. A systems framework provides a theoretical basis for studying and understanding the complex mechanisms and processes of public health governance and is used for the structure of the discussion. Public health governance can be conceived as a complex system of the interactions of the institutions of the state, private-for -profit sector and civil society in collectively seeking to assure the conditions under which populations can live with the highest possible level of health and wellbeing. These three entities are the horizontal components or systems in this framework, each having distinct structures, institutions, organizations, instruments and tools of influence, and mechanisms and processes for interactions within and between components. The interactions and interdependencies of these three entities and how they inter-digitate in a second hierarchical dimension of either the national or supranational levels is described. The organizational context of governance within the three component entities is a third dimension of the system framework. The second part of the chapter discusses how good effective management in public health organizations is critical for success in developing and implementing strategies and programs to improve the health of populations and the key characteristics that create the context in which the governance and management in public health organizations should be considered. Management and governance are integral aspects of organizations and need to be understood as interdependent and interrelated components in the continuum of systems and processes of organizations. Management science is applied in the management of 'Public health organizations', the management of the health governance function in 'Public health management' and in the 'Program management in public health'.