Space Telescope Science Institute

HST UPDATE is a monthly publication of the Health Systems Trust.  An overview of the work of HST over the first three years.

Health Systems Trust (HST) is a dynamic not-for-profit organisation (NPO) established in 1992 to support the transformation of the health system in a new democratic South Africa. Subscribing to a primary health care approach, HST actively supports current and future development of a comprehensive health system, through strategies designed to promote equity and efficiency in health and health care delivery in southern Africa.

HST’s Structure

HST employs about 50 staff members in two directorates, Programmes and Corporate Services, that collaborate in achieving the organisation’s goals. HST relies on the services of independent consultants when project demands exceed the capacity of the core staff.

Editorial

Health systems research as a discipline requires continuous interaction between researchers, policy makers, health service managers and service providers. For health systems research to have a practical impact, such interaction has to be nurtured from the planning stages and sustained through to the utilisation of research findings, taking into account all the factors that might encourage or impede this process.