Can basic health services serve as a stabilising factor in insecure and fragile settings?

Health as a bridge to peace is an idea generated in the 1980s but that merits re-appraisal in these times of protracted crisis and persistent insecurity. Transition from emergency health responses by external humanitarian groups to ownership and strengthening of local health systems has not been adequately addressed in most post-conflict settings, setting the stage for renewed conflict fuelled by wide-spread discontent and hopelessness of the affected communities. Massive and sudden infusions of foreign aid and expertise compromise existing community public health operations by setting up parallel systems with different norms and resources.