Table 1 Global health system definition

Transnational actors: Individuals or organizations that operate in a way that transcends national political borders. Unlike the term international, which may require actors to be stationed in multiple countries, transnational actors may be stationed in only one country so long as they operate across borders.

Polylateral: The interactions among, and governance of, states and non-state actors, which includes interactions between states, between non-state actors, and between states and non-state actors [26]. While the term bilateral concerns relations between two states and the term multilateral concerns relations between three or more states, the term polylateral is more inclusive in that it also considers interactions of non-state entities [26].

Global health system arrangements include: [27]

 Delivery arrangements: relate to how health services are delivered, accessed and catered to meet local priorities, and focus on factors that determine how care is designed to meet consumers’ needs, by whom care is provided, where care is provided and with the supports used to those providing and receiving care.

 Financial arrangements: relate to how finances flow through health systems, and focus on how systems are financed, types of funding organizations, how to remunerate providers, how products and services are purchased and the incentive structures for consumers.

 Governance arrangements: relate to how a health system is governed, and focus on issues such as policy authority, organizational authority, commercial authority, professional authority and about how stakeholders are involved in health systems decisions and on what terms.