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In 2005, all member states of the United Nations made the commitment to achieve universal health coverage. In many developed nations health coverage of reasonably good quality is available to all residents, but in developing nations, health care provided by the government is often perceived as being of poor quality, with long waiting times and poor access for many citizens. As a result, people pay out-of-pocket for healthcare expenses and downstream effects include prolonged illness and impoverished families. The 2013 World Health Report has the theme of universal health coverage and underlines the important need for research to develop, implement, and administer universal health coverage for countries and regions.
The report highlights the importance of research (especially health systems research) to achieve universal health coverage. The methodology and important issues in health systems research has been addressed in previous publications. In 2004, the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research published a book on strengthening health systems using systems research. The International Development Research Centre in Canada...