Table 1 Chronology of major health system definitions, frameworks and concepts

Health System Performance

First emphasis on stewardship as a health system function

[52]

Essential Public Health Functions

Strengthening public health regulation and enforcement capacity as one of the eleven essential public health function

[53]

Control Knobs

Regulation as one of the health system control knobs to improve performance

[54]

Strengthening Health Systems

Strengthening health system capacity by focusing on stewardship and regulation

[55]

Health System Building blocks

Articulation of governance as one of the six major building blocks of the health system, and rephrasing stewardship into governance

[20]

Health Systems Dynamics

Identifying stewardship and organizational arrangements as one of the four levers available to policy makers to achieve objectives and goals

[56]

Maximizing positive synergies

Ensuring that governance along with the other six functions of a health system are driven by people to promote equity

[23]

Systems thinking for Health Systems Strengthening

Links system thinking to health system building blocks, and conceptualizes governance across the building blocks.

[25]

Monitoring Building Blocks of the Health System

Proposes indicators for monitoring governance and the other building blocks of the health system

[43]