Health Workers for Change as a health systems management and development tool

In this paper we draw overall conclusions concerning the Health Workers for Change (HWFC) methodology as a management and health systems development tool. We examine how HWFC has contributed to an elucidation of the four main themes with which this special Issue is concerned, namely: the value of participatory training; the need for gender sensitivity in health services; the impact of the HWFC intervention on gender sensitivity and quality of care in health services; and the ability to replicate the HWFC intervention in a variety of cultural and geographical sites. The paper concludes that HWFC is a useful health systems development tool, discusses other applications of HWFC beyond those reported in this issue and makes several recommendations concerning its future use.