Health Systems Trust - HST

15/10/2026

Save the date for this important webinar. Join us for a thought-provoking discussion on issues that matter to the health sector and the people it serves. Registration details and the webinar link will be shared shortly.

| The Learning Health Systems edition of the South African Health Review is due to be released on Tuesday 27 October.

How can South Africa build a health system that continuously learns, adapts, and translates evidence into meaningful improvements in healthcare delivery?

Join the Health Systems Trust (HST), in collaboration with the National Department of Health (South Africa), for this virtual launch which will bring together leading voices in health policy, research and practice to share key findings from this edition and explore their implications for strengthening South Africa's health system.

📅 Date: 27 October 2026
🕙 Time: 10:00–11:30 SAST
💻 Platform: National Department of Health’s Knowledge Hub
Registration details will be shared soon.

15/10/2026

SAVE THE DATE!
The Learning Health Systems edition of the South African Health Review is due to be released on Tuesday 27 October.

How can South Africa build a health system that continuously learns, adapts, and translates evidence into meaningful improvements in healthcare delivery?

Join the Health Systems Trust (HST), in collaboration with the National Department of Health (South Africa), for this virtual launch which will bring together leading voices in health policy, research and practice to share key findings from this edition and explore their implications for strengthening South Africa's health system.

📅 Date: 27 October 2026
🕙 Time: 10:00–11:30 SAST
💻 Platform: National Department of Health’s Knowledge Hub
Registration details will be shared soon… See less

15/10/2026

Join the Health Systems Trust (HST), in collaboration with the National Department of Health (South Africa), for this virtual launch which will bring together leading voices in health policy, research and practice to share key findings from this edition and explore their implications for strengthening South Africa’s health system.

12/10/2026

Roma Ramphal of the Health Systems Trust (HST) is presenting a poster on how pharmacists contribute to stronger health systems through clinical governance, improved medicines access and differentiated care delivery under the CCMDD Programme at the 4th National Pharmacy Conference in Durban.

📍 Poster 20 | Day 2
📍 Durban ICC | 11-13 October

"Beyond the counter, there’s a pharmacist strengthening the health system by supporting clinics, safeguarding medicine access, and training the teams who care for millions of patients."

Visit Poster 20 to learn how pharmacists are helping improve the quality, accessibility and continuity of care across South Africa's public health system.

25/09/2026

From evidence to action: knowledge brokering for equitable, inclusive, and sustainable health systems

Turning Evidence into Policy: Trust, Timing and Data Are Key
Speaking at a session convened by Health Systems Trust, Dr Ntombi Sigwebela spoke on the challenge of translating research into public policy.
She highlighted that moving from evidence generation to policy implementation is a complex process that requires more than simply producing research findings. She emphasised that for evidence to influence decision-making, it must come from a trusted source. Researchers and knowledge producers need to be recognised not only for the rigour of their work but also for their ability to interpret findings credibly and communicate them effectively.

Dr Sigwebela noted that timing is equally critical. Research evidence must reach decision-makers when they are ready and able to incorporate it into planning and policy processes. Without the right structures and openness to engage with evidence, valuable findings may fail to inform action.
She also stressed the importance of positioning evidence strategically to maximise its influence on policy outcomes. In the South African context, she called for the routine institutionalisation of data use, ensuring that evidence informs planning and decision-making from the outset, rather than being considered only after key decisions have already been made.
Her remarks underscored a central message: evidence can shape policy, but only when trust, timely communication, and a culture of data-driven decision-making are firmly in place.

23/09/2026

The Health Systems Trust convened a session during the 18th World Congress on Public Health titled: From evidence to action: Knowledge brokering for equitable, inclusive and sustainable health systems.
Dr Lesibana Malinga, Deputy Director at the South African Health Department emphasised the need for a research observatory to centralise and bring together research information.

23/09/2026

From data to decisions: using routine district health data to advance equitable and sustainable primary health care
On 9 September 2026, Health Systems Trust (HST) brought together health practitioners, academics, and health planners for an innovative workshop focused on strengthening the use of routine health data for decision-making.

Ms Noluthando Ndlovu reflected on the more than 30 years during which HST has served as a knowledge broker for the South African National Department of Health, working in close partnership with national, provincial, and district stakeholders.

23/09/2026

On Monday 7 September 2026, Ms Ntombifuthi Blose presented an oral abstract on Health systems performance monitoring of mental health services in South Africa using routine public sector data.

08/09/2026

Health facilities generate data every single day. The harder question is what happens to it next.

On 9 September at the 18th World Congress on Public Health hosted by the World Federation of Public Health Associations - WFPHA, Health Systems Trust CEO Dr Ntombi Sigwebela joins Ms Thulile Zondi, Chief Director at the National Department of Health, to look at how routine district health data can be put to work — strengthening primary health care that is both equitable and sustainable. The session will be moderated by Ms Noluthando Ndlovu, HST Acting Director for Research and Implementation Science

04/09/2026

You can't plan for what you can't see — and mental health data has too often sat outside the systems that drive decisions.

Join Health Systems Trust's Ms Noluthando Ndlovu at the 18th World Congress on Public Health as she shares what South Africa has learned about building mental health surveillance into integrated health information systems.