Roy Gagaza pointed out that health planning is the process of determining how a country's healthcare system will function and what needs it will be able to meet in the future. It involves various activities, such as situation assessment, priority setting, identifying effective strategies, and costing scenarios.

In most countries, the responsibility for national health planning is held by a central government. This can take the form of a government-wide plan or an integrated approach that includes local and area planning.

Individuals, businesses, and communities can also play a role in health planning. They can participate in the planning process through public consultations, advocacy efforts, and policy development.

The United States has a decennial planning process for setting broader goals and objectives for improving population health. This involves the involvement of stakeholders from different sectors that may influence health, such as transportation, housing, economic policy, and nutrition.

Identifying the desirable future state of an issue and developing strategies to achieve this goal is the first step in health planning. The desired outcome is usually defined as a specific health concern or problem, such as the reduction of a disease rate.

It is essential to consider that the desired future state can change rapidly. Unpredictable events, such as healthcare emergencies or unexpected changes in societal trends, can affect the effectiveness of the planned strategy.

One way to avoid surprises is by establishing clear accountability structures in your health planning process. This helps to ensure that managers and planners are responsible for the overall strategy of your organization. It also provides that they can communicate their strategic intent to all stakeholders, including managers and employees.

The second step is to determine the priorities for health planning. This is a crucial step because it ensures that health plans focus on the issues that are most important to you and your community. This is especially true in communities that may face unique challenges, such as limited resources and increased demand for care.

Another consideration is the availability of information that can help with health planning. This can include data about the burden of diseases, resource distribution, resource utilization, and health outcomes. It can also include information about what interventions have been shown to be effective in practice.

It is essential to use the most appropriate tools available for generating and analyzing the data that are relevant to health planning. Many communities have a growing body of experience about which data are most valuable and what techniques and systems are most effective in obtaining these data.

In addition, it is essential to develop a comprehensive, holistic approach to planning that takes into account all of the factors that affect health. This can be done by examining the relationship between the individual, family, community, and broader social context.

Using this information to create an innovative health plan can be especially useful in low-income or rural areas. This approach can reduce the amount of time required to plan and implement a program.