Health Systems Research is a field of research that focuses on the functions of the system, which comprises of individual units, organisations and institutions or the complex inter-link between organisations and the health system as a whole. It provides scientific evidence to policy-makers and health managers, to enable them to make evidence-based decision-making on health matters.
To address the gap in health systems research in Malaysia, IHSR was initiated as a Unit within the Institute of Public Health (IPH) before expanding into a Division. It was subsequently established as an independent Institute in November 2002. Previously, it was located within the IPH until April 2005 when it acquired its own premises.
The Institute consists of 6 Centres, namely Centre for Health Outcomes Research (CHOR), Centre for Health Equity Research (CHER), Centre for Healthcare Quality Research (CHQR), Center for Health Economics Research (CHEeR), Centre for Health Policy Research (CHPR), and Centre for Health Services Research (CHSR).
IHSR is one of the Institutes under the umbrella of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The Institute was designated as the WHO Collaborating Centre for Health Systems Research in 1988 and has been re-designated every four years. In 2001 it had received additional recognition with its appointment as the WHO Collaborating Centre for HSR and Quality Improvement (QI). The current designation period is for 2017-2021.
This recognition subsequently led to the placement of the National Quality Assurance Secretariat for the MOH QA Programmes within this Institute. As the Secretariat, its major responsibility is to function as the coordinating centre for the development of Quality Assurance Programmes in Health Ministry. In September 2010, the Institute received accreditation for MS ISO 9001:2008 and upgraded to MS ISO 9001:2015 in December 2017 for its efforts in improving quality in its core business of research, consultancy and training.
The Institute plays a part in facilitating the decision-making process at various levels, in particular at policy level within and outside the Health Ministry. IHSR aspires to strengthen this role through building its capacity and capability in knowledge translation (KT), making KT the two-way exchange medium for researchers and other parties to apply the knowledge further.
