The Alliance was in New Delhi, India, last week to participate in the 2025 World Health Summit Regional Meeting. We held two main sessions as part of the event: a side event focusing on our recent studies on digital health innovations and panel looking at health policy and systems research as a key tool for strengthening health systems.
The high-level panel session, which is available to watch in full, highlighted the critical role of evidence, research and political leadership in strengthening health systems amid mounting global crises – especially in a region that is home to two-thirds of the global population and has demonstrated remarkable innovations in health systems reform.
"Health policy and systems research has much to add and much to contribute," said Dr Kumanan Rasanathan, Executive Director of the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, as he opened the session. Pointing to the growing recognition of the value of health policy and systems research, he noted the strong community in India.
The keynote address was delivered by the Right Honourable Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and Chair of the Alliance's Board. Clark addressed the urgent need for stronger, evidence-based health systems capable of achieving universal health coverage, ensuring pandemic preparedness and facing health financing cliffs. "Strong health systems are basic for enabling all people to thrive," she noted, adding that research must drive reforms that are context-specific and grounded in realities. She emphasized the need for co-creation and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Thailand's experience stands out as a key examplar of using health policy and systems research to advance universal health coverage. Dr Viroj Tangcharoensathien of Thailand’s International Health Policy Programme candidly reflected on both successes and failures in institutionalizing health policy and systems research over the past 20 years. "It is a long, winding road – and a rough one," he admitted, highlighting the delicate balance between maintaining scientific integrity and navigating political systems. He called for countries to invest in local capacity, warning that "donor-initiated programs do not survive long term" without national ownership.
A lively panel discussion, moderated by Dr Zubin Shroff from the Alliance, further unpacked challenges and opportunities for embedding HPSR into policy and practice.
Focusing on how health policy and systems research can inform strengthening digital health systems, Professor Tungamirirai Simbini from the University of Zimbabwe drew lessons from research on implementing digital health records. He emphasized the need for more systems thinking approaches: “the problem is implementing these digital solutions on a project-by-project basis – we have a lot of verticalized thought processes, yet health care is an interplay of different components”.
Dr Kheya Furtado from the Goa Institute of Management emphasized the need for institutionalizing researcher–policy-maker engagement, noting, "It cannot rely on individual relationships – we must have formal platforms." And not necessarily only at the national level, but also at state or more local levels. She argued that formal platforms are essential to ensure the use of research evidence extends beyond personal relationships — which are often fragile when individual policy-makers move on.
Dr Rajani Ved, Director of Health at the Gates Foundation India, stressed the importance of embedding research at the frontline. Reflecting on India’s comprehensive primary health care reforms, she said, "Unless we bring practitioners into the research process, HPSR will remain disconnected from ground realities."
Closing the session, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, former Chief Scientist of the WHO and current Chair of the MS Swaminathan Foundation, called for strong national leadership to drive health systems research. She suggested that publicly funded institutions are among the few institutions to have the mandate, scale and legitimacy to lead on health policy and systems research. She also stressed the need for interdiscipinarity and engaging with communities, suggesting this is critical in fostering stronger, more responsive health systems that can learn from their actions.
Throughout the event, participants argued that effective health policy and systems research should be country-led, context-sensitive, politically savvy and deeply connected to those it seeks to serve. "It’s not just about publishing papers," Rasanathan concluded. "It’s about making change happen."