On Thursday 9 May 2019, Dr Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat Senior Lecturer in the Department of Health Services Management and Head of the WHO Collaborating Centre on Health Systems and Policies in Small States at the Islands and Small States Institute was invited to deliver a lecture at the conference 'Prepariamoci al Futuro - Scenari e sfide per la salute' organised by the Ministry for Health of San Marino.
Dr Azzopardi-Muscat’s keynote lecture entitled 'Piccoli Paesi nel XXI secolo, come costruire Sistemi Sanitari resilienti e sostenibili' outlined her recent research comparing health system inputs and outcomes in small countries with those of larger countries.
She highlighted specific challenges facing small countries including that of attracting and retaining high specialized health care professionals. Nonetheless, she reflected that small countries generally exceed expectations when it comes to health outcomes and put forward explanatory proposals for this phenomenon.
She highlighted specific challenges facing small countries including that of attracting and retaining high specialized health care professionals. Nonetheless, she reflected that small countries generally exceed expectations when it comes to health outcomes and put forward explanatory proposals for this phenomenon.