Overview

In an era marked by pandemics, natural disasters and geopolitical tensions, the resilience of health systems has never been more crucial.

This handbook is a comprehensive toolkit designed for health system leaders, managers, policy-makers and planners ready to fortify their systems against any shock. It contains the strategies and insights needed to assess vulnerabilities, develop robust responses, and safeguard population health.

At its core, the handbook describes a pioneering resilience testing methodology — a structured, collaborative approach inspired by stress tests used in other sectors, scenario planning and health system performance evaluations.

Strengthening Health Systems: A Practical Handbook for Resilience Testing is organized into three distinct sections and serves as a comprehensive companion:

• Section 1 is a hands-on guide, explaining each step of the resilience testing process.
• Section 2 gives an outline of the foundational concepts driving resilience testing.
• Section 3 is a carefully curated collection of example shock scenarios that can be adapted for use in diverse country contexts.