Weaknesses exposed in health systems in middle- and low-income countries have limited the effectiveness of the global health initiatives and may be undermining investments that are being made, representatives from both agencies said at the 17th International AIDS Conference that started here Sunday.
The WHO and WB will join forces to examine these problems and provide governments with sound technical guidance to enhance health systems without diminishing the benefits of health initiatives.
"It is not about choosing between strengthening the health systems and the specific disease programs. We must work in a team to generate added value," WHO Assistant Director-General Dr Carissa F. Etienne said at a press conference.
"The time has come to move from observing the international and on-international impacts of the health investments, to actively managing better outcomes that can be sustained," Etienne said.
"The WHO and the WB will examine and combine the strengths of different approaches around the world in order to get better results from investments and improve global health," WB Vice President of Human Development Joy Phumaphi said.
"This collaboration will be useful at the country and global levels. We will generate new knowledge, work with countries to improve their approaches and share lessons at the regional and global levels, said Julian Schweitzer, director of Health, Nutrition and Population from the WB.
