A socio-political history of South Africa's National Health Insurance.

Background: Spurred by the WHO's endorsement of universal health coverage as a goal of all health systems, many countries are undertaking health financing reforms. The nature of these reforms, and the policy processes by which they are achieved, will depend on context-specific factors, including the history of reform efforts and the political imperatives driving reforms. South Africa's pursuit of universal health coverage through a National Health Insurance is the latest in a nearly 100-year history of health system reform efforts shaped by social and political realities.

What research evidence can support the decolonisation of global health? Making space for deeper scholarship in global health journals.

Much of the current global health publishing landscape is restricted in its epistemological diversity, relying heavily on a biomedical lens to examine and report on global health issues. In this Viewpoint, we argue that the space within global health journals needs to be expanded to include diverse forms of research scholarship, thereby shifting the kinds of stories that get told in these spaces. We particularly call for the inclusion of deeper research that values the tacit, experiential knowledge possessed by actors (eg, communities, health-care workers, policy makers, activisits, and researchers) in low-income and middle-income countries, and legitimises the perspectives of local doers and thinkers; research that pays careful attention to context, and does not treat local realities as mere background occurrences; and research that draws on alternative, counter-dominant epistemologies, that allow for the crucial examination of power imbalances, and that challenge hegemonic discourses in global health.

Towards an Explanation of the Social Value of Health Systems: An Interpretive Synthesis.

Background: Health systems are complex social systems, and values constitute a central dimension of their complexity. Values are commonly understood as key drivers of health system change, operating across all health systems components and functions. Moreover, health systems are understood to influence and generate social values, presenting an opportunity to harness health systems to build stronger, more cohesive societies.

Models of public-private engagement for health services delivery and financing in Southern Africa: a systematic review.

In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the private sector-including international donors, non-governmental organizations, for-profit providers and traditional healers-plays a significant role in health financing and delivery. The use of the private sector in furthering public health goals is increasingly common. By working with the private sector through public -: private engagement (PPE), states can harness private sector resources to further public health goals.