Reimagining health systems as systems for health

While health systems are fundamental to creating health and wellbeing, the covid-19 pandemic has exposed an outdated view of health systems. The boundaries of health systems are rapidly evolving and expanding. Social media and digital innovations are revolutionizinghowgovernments and the private sector engagepeople and communities. They are also revolutionizing people’s and communities’ interaction and engagement with health systems.1 Yet current thinking on health systems remains focused on access to medical services and financial protection, keymetrics formeasuringuniversalhealth coverage (UHC), but insufficient to capture the determinants of health. The ongoing covid-19 pandemic has focused global attention on services that are needed to ensure and sustain health. This presents anopportunity.We can envisionhowhealth systems can move beyond being concentrated on treating illness. While continuing to provide health treatment services, health systems must be reimagined as “systems for health” by ensuring health security andencouraginghealthypopulations.