WHO defines six building blocks of a health system: service delivery, health workforce, information, commodities (products, vaccines and technologies), financing and leadership/governance. The health systems approach puts the emphasis not just on the components of the health system, but the relationships within and between the building blocks. Core to health systems strengthening (HSS) is the idea that none of these building blocks can stand alone, all are necessary for better health outcomes. Changes in one area have repercussions elsewhere. Improvements in one area can't be achieved without contributions in another. (Original news article)

Dykki Settle's article Greater Than the Sum is a feature article in the Winter 2010 issue of Global Health Magazine.