This course introduces students to the principles and practice of health system analysis, the sources and utilisation of information relating to health services, and frameworks for assessing health systems performance. Students examine the historical contexts and legal, economic, social, and political environments within which health care systems operate. Through the comparison of different models of health system funding students will develop an understanding of:

What has influenced the development of healthcare systems in different countries;
What the advantages and disadvantages of different health system models are, and why;
How health systems are financed and managed; and
How the performance of a health system is measured.

The course will compare the Australian health system with a range of low, middle and high income countries across the region and the globe.