Addressing health challenges in a resource-poor setting

Go slowly, gather data and listen carefully

If a health care system is viewed as confined (ie, inside a “box”) and assessed only through examination of its internal components, the interactions of its components will be poorly understood. Applying this principle to a resource-poor nation — by focusing on the plight of the people in the villages, townships, clinics and hospitals, and the need for money for staff education and improved resources — we may see few outcomes and feel frustrated by our inability to meet public need. A greater understanding comes from looking outside the box, to see its inputs from and outputs to the wider world.