(i) A set of decisions or commitments to pursue courses of action aimed at achieving defined goals for improving health, stating or inferring the values that underpin these decisions; the health policy may or may not specify the source of funding that can be applied to the action, the planning and management arrangements to be adopted for implementation of the policy, and the relevant institutions to be involved.
(ii) A general statement of understanding [to] guide decision making that results from an agreement or consensus among relevant partners on the issues to be addressed and on the approaches or strategies to deal with them.
The World Health Organization (WHO)’s 2011 Health Systems Strengthening Glossary defines policy as:
(i) a set of decisions or commitments to pursue courses of action aimed at achieving defined goals for improving health, stating or inferring the values that underpin these decisions; the health policy may or may not specify the source of funding that can be applied to the action, the planning and management arrangements to be adopted for implementation of the policy, and the relevant institutions to be involved.
(ii) a general statement of understanding [to] guide decision making that results from an agreement or consensus among relevant partners on the issues to be addressed and on the approaches or strategies to deal with them.
According to the glossary, monitoring “involves the specification of methods to measure activity, use of resources, and response to services against agreed criteria.” The glossary itself is an extensive list of terms and definitions—many of which the Coalition has decided to use—that draws from technical briefs, research, and textbooks. This specific definition contextualizes policy in terms of policy dialogue.
World Health Organization. “Health Systems Strengthening Glossary.” World Health Organization, 2011. https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/documents/health-systems-strengthening-glossary.pdf?sfvrsn=b871d95f_4.