Centre for Health Systems in Fragile and Conflict Affected Settings
The Centre for Health Systems in Fragile and Conflict Affected Settings brings together the interdisciplinary work of over 50 experts at KIT Royal Tropical Institute in the area of global health. We aim to empower people, strengthen health systems and improve universal access to quality healthcare in fragile settings.
Our team offers methods that account for the contextual complexity of fragile settings: starting from an in-depth understanding of the root causes of the challenges we focus on strengthening domestic or local institutions and actors that can drive change. Our work is unique in that it spans from applied research, monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) to technical assistance, capacity development and training.
Approximately a quarter of the world’s population live in fragile settings: countries or territories affected by violence, major economic instability, and precarious governance, unable or unwilling to ensure basic goods and services for (part of) its population. As a result, these settings are particularly vulnerable to acute shocks, such as natural disasters or disease outbreaks. Nearly eighty percent of all people in extreme poverty live in fragile settings, and those living in these settings have, on average, poorer health outcomes. In other words, globally, poor health is increasingly concentrated in fragile settings.
Improving health outcomes in fragile settings means not just improving service delivery but also durably strengthening the institutions and systems in which these services are embedded, strengthening citizen’s rights and enhancing the responsiveness and inclusiveness of governments. On this webpage you can find an overview of our work, links to our current and former projects on diverse themes of health and development in fragile settings, a broad range of resources and dissemination materials, and an introduction to our team.
Methods
Our interdisciplinary team employs qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods in their research, MEL and advisory work, with particular emphasis on politically sensitive, participatory and human-centred design approaches. We offer two specialized courses equipping global health professionals with the skills and methods to analyse and strengthen disrupted health systems in fragile and conflict-affected environments, and a range of tailor-made training programmes for policymakers and implementers in specific fragile settings. Finally, we leverage our role in international consortia to strengthen national health institutions, acting as the lynchpin between domestic and international actors. With this array of methods and approaches we deliver high quality services that inform decision makers and equip them for policy change, the advancement of rights and the strengthening of health systems.
Track Record
Highlighted Publications
Specialised Short Courses
Related Resources
Our Experts
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Fernando Maldonado Costa
Senior Advisor and Master's Programme Coordinator
F.Maldonado@kit.nl +31 (0)20 568 8477
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Contact
Strengthening Health Systems topics
KIT MAG
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