Collaborative learning and knowledge co-creation as catalysts for health system strengthening: The South African Learning Alliance for District Health Systems
1
School of Public Health and SAMRC Health Services to Systems Research Unit, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
2
Centre for Research in Health systems, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
3
Western Cape Government Department of Health and Wellness, Cape Town, South Africa
4
Division of Health Systems and Public Health, Department of Global Health, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
5
School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
6
Faculty of Health Sciences, , Potchefstroom, South Africa, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
7
Independent Researcher, Cape Town, South Africa
8
Clinton Health Access Initiative, Boston, United States
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A1789
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Collaborative knowledge-creation is a central health system strengthening strategy, and platforms for collaborating partners to engage in iterative learning hold much promise in bridging performance challenges. The South African Learning Alliance for District Health Systems (SALAD) connects district health system stakeholders from academia and government across South Africa. It provides a platform for knowledge and experience exchange and collaborative learning, based on the rationale that localised health system learning is crucial for the achievement of national goals of universal health coverage and resilience in the face of crisis. The aim of this organised session is to share reflections from SALAD as a catalyst for fostering mutual learning as part of health system strengthening.
METHODS:
This panel discussion will consist of a 5-minute introduction, followed by panel discussions on how the SALAD platform has enabled mutual learning and knowledge co-creation in addressing district health system challenges such as intersectoral service gaps, health outcome monitoring, and addressing emergent crises such as COVID-19 and budget reductions. Following inputs from individual panellists, a 15-minute round of wider participatory discussion will be facilitated.
RESULTS:
The anticipated outcome of this session is to provide a space for participants to engage in the development and maintenance of a national learning network for health system strengthening, thereby exposing participants to valuable lessons for application in their settings. Specifically, participants will engage in how collaborative exchange, knowledge co-creation, and bottom-up learning and intersectoral action can inform policy implementation, towards achieving universal health coverage and resilience to pandemic and funding shocks.
CONCLUSIONS:
This organised session will provide a participatory space for sharing lessons and exchanging ideas for the practical design and implementation of learning platforms in health systems, thereby generating valuable guidance for policymakers, managers, researchers, and funders.
Collaborative knowledge-creation is a central health system strengthening strategy, and platforms for collaborating partners to engage in iterative learning hold much promise in bridging performance challenges. The South African Learning Alliance for District Health Systems (SALAD) connects district health system stakeholders from academia and government across South Africa. It provides a platform for knowledge and experience exchange and collaborative learning, based on the rationale that localised health system learning is crucial for the achievement of national goals of universal health coverage and resilience in the face of crisis. The aim of this organised session is to share reflections from SALAD as a catalyst for fostering mutual learning as part of health system strengthening.
METHODS:
This panel discussion will consist of a 5-minute introduction, followed by panel discussions on how the SALAD platform has enabled mutual learning and knowledge co-creation in addressing district health system challenges such as intersectoral service gaps, health outcome monitoring, and addressing emergent crises such as COVID-19 and budget reductions. Following inputs from individual panellists, a 15-minute round of wider participatory discussion will be facilitated.
RESULTS:
The anticipated outcome of this session is to provide a space for participants to engage in the development and maintenance of a national learning network for health system strengthening, thereby exposing participants to valuable lessons for application in their settings. Specifically, participants will engage in how collaborative exchange, knowledge co-creation, and bottom-up learning and intersectoral action can inform policy implementation, towards achieving universal health coverage and resilience to pandemic and funding shocks.
CONCLUSIONS:
This organised session will provide a participatory space for sharing lessons and exchanging ideas for the practical design and implementation of learning platforms in health systems, thereby generating valuable guidance for policymakers, managers, researchers, and funders.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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