Introduction, to Improving Health Policy in Africa

Abstract

The increased demand for health care and lack of public financing for critical health services have created severe bottlenecks in the region. Governments initiated health sector reform during the past two decades and a series of policy decisions were introduced to reorganize the health sector; but the great diversity both in the pattern of health problems and in resources makes it difficult to make generalizations about the sector that would apply uniformly to all parts of sub-Saharan Africa. This volume contains the findings of research groups of analysts from different countries who examined policy issues in a variety of health care settings.