# Complus


## Posts

- [One Stage - The Health Committee Symposium](https://complusconsortium.org/one-stage-the-health-committee-symposium/): Bismillah Committee from Rafi Nagar By SPARC. On 21 July 2026, women members from 14 health committees across Mumbai came together for a symposium. This was not a routine meeting. It was a chance for committees that usually work alone in their own settlements to come together and hear from each other. Every participant was a woman. Every committee represented was a women-led health committee set up by the COMPLUS project. Between 150 and 170 people attended. For many women, this was the first time they stood on a stage and spoke in front of others. Some had never addressed a
- [When communities come together they DEFINITELY WIN!](https://complusconsortium.org/when-communities-come-together-they-definitely-win/): From Approved to Actual: Parsi Wadi’s Long Road to Water Blog by SPARC   Last year, we presented a blog titled “When communities come together, they win”, on the water issue in Parsi Wadi, an informal settlement in Mumbai where COMPLUS has created health committees. The blog described the burden of poor water pressure and inadequacy of water and thewoes that it brought to the community, particularly the women. This was the first issue that the committee wanted to resolve. After a long battle, the issue is now fully resolved! Back to some history, the work on the new waterpipeline in
- [NGOs, Community, and the Public Health System](https://complusconsortium.org/ngos-community-and-the-public-health-system/): Authors – Shayari Nag, Sweta Dash and Pushpa V – The George Institute for Global Health The Mahila Arogya Samiti (MAS) platform was envisioned under the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) as a space for community participation in urban health systems, encouraging urban poor women to become active participants. Policy dictates that these committees be established under the Primary Health Centre (PHC) and involve strong collaboration between the community, the frontline health workers – Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA), the Medical Officer (MO), and other urban departments. Yet, in practice, the MAS often remains under-supported. ASHAs receive no financial incentive for
- [The Tree of Collective Action: Insights from the MAS Group Thematic Discussion on Strengths, Challenges, and Opportunities](https://complusconsortium.org/the-tree-of-collective-action-insights-from-the-mas-group-thematic-discussion-on-strengths-challenges-and-opportunities/): Authors: Shayari Nag, Sweta Dash, Pushpa V and Menaka M B – The George Institute for Global Health In December 2025, the TGI COMPLUS Team engaged 17 of its MAS groups in a thematic discussion titled:  Assessing Our Strengths, Challenges, and Opportunities. To visually facilitate a collective self-assessment, we encouraged them to reflect using a metaphor of a tree. The groups were asked to think of their roles, responsibilities, experiences, and aspirations with their MAS groups as a tree with each part signifying the following: Roots – representing the inner strengths that ground them, Trunk – acknowledging weaker spots, Branches –
- [Planning a Community-Led Intervention: The Idea Behind a MAS Celebration in Sandeep Layout, Bengaluru](https://complusconsortium.org/planning-a-community-led-intervention-the-idea-behind-a-mas-celebration-in-sandeep-layout-bengaluru/): Authors – Sweta Dash, Shayari Nag, Pushpa V and Menaka MB In Sandeep Layout, Bengaluru, the Mahila Arogya Samiti (MAS) experimented with something simple but meaningful for effective realisation and celebration of community participation in urban health systems: organising a collective event that brings together different stakeholders including community members, frontline health workers, local leaders, The George Institute of Global Health India’s research team and their partner organisations. The idea for this celebratory event did not emerge from a formal event plan made in silos. Instead, it emerged during the MAS meeting in September where our thematic discussion was around the
- [Community health committee symposium](https://complusconsortium.org/community-health-committee-symposium/): Since 2023, SPARC began sharpening and deepening its focus on health via exploring the idea of creating community health committees and strengthening them over time to take up health action in their neighborhoods. The action has a simple goal, the neighborhood insights and knowledge around elements of health and its social determinants of health are deepened. Communities learn which are the set of things for good health that they can do themselves within their neighborhoods and which things require seeking accountability from their duty bearers. All activities around capacity building engage the committees in an action learning fashion where they learn by being active participants in the process.
- [Mobilising for Care: A Bengaluru Mahila Aarogya Samiti’s Fight for an Aanganwadi Centre](https://complusconsortium.org/mobilising-for-care-a-bengaluru-mahila-aarogya-samitis-fight-for-an-aanganwadi-centre/): Authors: Menaka MB, Shayari Nag, Sweta Dash, Jith JR- The George Institute for Global Health, India Mobilising for Care: A Bengaluru Mahila Aarogya Samiti’s Fight for an Aanganwadi Centre In the Mahila Aarogya Samiti (MAS) meetings in Pillaganahalli, the members –female residents of the slums – dedicate their time and energy to long conversationsaround how even the domestic problems are not solely personal and private. Theseconversations eventually culminate in underscoring the need for and the ways toconnect women’s domestic problems with the overall health and well-being of thecommunity. In one of the initial MAS meetings in May 2024, when asked about the problems they
- [The Weight of Care: Feminised Labour and the Exploitation of ASHA Workers in India’s Urban Health System](https://complusconsortium.org/the-weight-of-care-feminised-labour-and-the-exploitation-of-asha-workers-in-indias-urban-health-system/): Authors: Pushpa V, Sweta Dash, Shayari Nag, Jith JR As a research team that had just started working with Mahila Aarogya Samitis (MAS) to strengthen community participation in the urban health system in Bengaluru, we realised the pertinent need for better relationships between the community members and the frontline health workers like the Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA). On one hand, our MAS members expressed the lack of awareness about the roles and responsibilities of ASHAs and said they did not have access to proper information channels to understand and claim entitlements with their support. On the other hand, the ASHA
- [When Communities Come Together, They Win](https://complusconsortium.org/when-communities-come-together-they-win/): When Communities Come Together, They Win Residents of Parsiwadi in Ghatkopar, Mumbai have succeeded in getting a water pipeline laid in their area — a hard-won victory after years of waiting. With support from COMPLUS, local committees were formed last year, the community was mobilised, and persistent efforts were made to engage with authorities. Their collective voice made the difference — and the work finally began.In the bustling metropolis of Mumbai, where skyscrapers stand tall and the economy thrives, many communities struggle with basic necessities. One such neighborhood is Parsiwadi in Ghatkopar. It is a small, closely-knit community primarily made up
- [Test Event Blog](https://complusconsortium.org/test-event-blog/)
- [Research Framework](https://complusconsortium.org/research-framework/)
- [Methodology](https://complusconsortium.org/methodology/): COMPLUS undertakes a range of study activities including landscape analysis, in-depth qualitative research, and tracking of selected indicators from available secondary data, to investigate the implementation of the intervention across the three country contexts emerging from the research, and their linkages with outcomes. It employs use of ‘tracers’, which are specific service delivery areas of importance that can be used as examples to guide and allow investigators to focus their inquiry on tangible outcomes. We are using Tuberculosis and Non-Communicable diseases (diabetes) as tracers to study different types of aspects of utilisation and responsiveness of health services.

## Pages

- [Key Concepts](https://complusconsortium.org/key-concepts/): Universal Health System​ There are many typologies for a Universal health system, which are often confounding and conflating, namely Universal Health Coverage (UHC), Universal Health care, Universal Access to health care and each of them stem from different political economy epistemologies. A UHS conceived by us is a system which offers comprehensive services based on everyone’s needs by virtue of being human (social justice) without any means-testing thereby catering to the most vulnerable, and irrespective of their ability to pay and will embody equity. UHS provides for greater solidarity, risk pooling and cross subsidisation and promotes social justice in which the
- [Publications](https://complusconsortium.org/publications/): COMPLUS Scoping Review Protocol Download SCOPING REVIEW SUMMARIES We conducted scoping reviews on three topics; how can people’s participation improve public and private health care, how to contracting systems affect primary health care and what role can community participation can play, and how can we achieve universal health coverage with plural health systems. We present below the English briefs of these three scoping reviews. COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION PLURAL HEALTH SYSTEMS CONTRACTING For our community partners in South Africa, we also translated the scoping review summaries in isiXhosa and Afrikaans! The isiXhosa versions COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION ISIXHOSA CONTRACTING ISIXHOSA PLURAL HEALTH SYSTEMS ISIXHOSA The
- [Media](https://complusconsortium.org/media-2/)
- [Media](https://complusconsortium.org/media/): Our First issue newsletter is out! Our Second issue newsletter is out!   Our Third issue newsletter is out!       CEBRAP conducted an interview between Vera and Frederico which was a very creative way of promoting COMPLUS. Portuguese Video, please use subtitles as appropriate
- [Blog](https://complusconsortium.org/blog/): Blog All Posts Blog Event Updates Planning a Community-Led Intervention: The Idea Behind a MAS Celebration in Sandeep Layout, Bengaluru 8 April 2026/No Comments Authors – Sweta Dash, Shayari Nag, Pushpa V and Menaka MB In Sandeep Layout, Bengaluru, the Mahila Arogya Samiti (MAS)… Read More Community health committee symposium 4 February 2026/No Comments Since 2023, SPARC began sharpening and deepening its focus on health via exploring the idea of creating community health committees… Read More Mobilising for Care: A Bengaluru Mahila Aarogya Samiti’s Fight for an Aanganwadi Centre 23 July 2025/No Comments Authors: Menaka MB, Shayari Nag, Sweta Dash, Jith JR- The
- [Learn More](https://complusconsortium.org/news-events/): Learn More Media Key Concepts Publication Blogs Our First issue newsletter is out! Our Second issue newsletter is out! CEBRAP conducted an interview between Vera and Frederico which was a very creative way of promoting COMPLUS. Portuguese Video, please use subtitles as appropriate Universal Health System​ There are many typologies for a Universal health system, which are often confounding and conflating, namely Universal Health Coverage (UHC), Universal Health care, Universal Access to health care and each of them stem from different political economy epistemologies. A UHS conceived by us is a system which offers comprehensive services based on everyone’s needs by
- [Partners](https://complusconsortium.org/partners/): Partners SPARC Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centers Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centers is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that has been a trustworthy supporter in the urban poor’s journey towards better living conditions in India. For over three decades, SPARC, in collaboration with its community-based social movements, the National Slum Dwellers’ Federation (NSDF) and Mahila Milan, has been at the forefront of championing the rights and well-being of the urban poor. In the rapidly urbanising landscape of India, millions of marginalised families live under the constant threat of evictions and demolitions, often in informal settlements with
- [Our Approach](https://complusconsortium.org/our-approach/): Our Approach Methodology COMPLUS undertakes a range of study activities including landscape analysis, in-depth qualitative research, and tracking of selected indicators from available secondary data, to investigate the implementation of the intervention across the three country contexts emerging from the research, and their linkages with outcomes. It employs use of ‘tracers’, which are specific service delivery areas of importance that can be used as examples to guide and allow investigators to focus their inquiry on tangible outcomes. We are using Tuberculosis and Non-Communicable diseases (diabetes) as tracers to study different types of aspects of utilisation and responsiveness of health services. Research
- [THE CHALLENGE](https://complusconsortium.org/the-challenge/): COMPLUS Challenge Background and Rationale of COMPLUS Since the 2000’s, large cities in Brazil and India began to expand access to health care based on models of purchasing health care, while South Africa has started implementing the National Health Insurance (NHI) which seeks to purchase from public and private. These experiences are growing, with private and philanthropic providers hired to manage public facilities and deliver public services. There is preliminary evidence suggesting that under certain conditions these experiences are contributing to a quick expansion and improved access to care in peripheral and poor areas of big cities. Despite these initial positive
- [Capacity building](https://complusconsortium.org/capacity-building/): Capacity Building Within our research program management, capacity development holds a crucial role. It is integrated at various project levels, involving researchers, community-level animators, and communities involved. Additionally, capacity development serves as a means of fostering knowledge exchange among our interdisciplinary consortium partners, drawing upon the diverse methodologies developed within the consortium. Coming Soon PhDs Postdoctoral fellows Masters Community
- [Team](https://complusconsortium.org/team/): Team SPARC Vinod Kumar Rao × Vinod works as a researcher and an action practitioner at SPARC with interest in issues connected with Urban poverty. He also serves as a Co-Principal Investigator for COMPLUS. Vinod has worked on research and action projects across Indian cities that primarily concern with access to water, sanitation, tenure security, housing and health and brings in experience of implementation of Government contracted projects affecting the urban poor. Close Vinod Co-Principal Investigator, COMPLUS Smruti Jukur × Smruti is an urban planner, architect, and research associate at SPARC. Her passion lies in urban informality, with expertise in housing,
- [About Us](https://complusconsortium.org/about-us/): About Us COMPLUS aims to strengthen the participation and voice of communities and community structures in urban pluralistic health systems for better alignment of health system actors around the common goals of accountable, responsive, and inclusive health systems. It seeks to identify a model for effective and meaningful participation within the pluralistic health systems. COMPLUS has 4 main objectives skip render: ucaddon_circle_number_widget skip render: ucaddon_circle_number_widget skip render: ucaddon_circle_number_widget skip render: ucaddon_circle_number_widget COMPLUS will be undertaken in three countries and six cities: Cape Town and Gqeberha in South Africa, Sao Paulo and Fortaleza in Brazil, and Mumbai and Bangalore in India, with
- [Home](https://complusconsortium.org/): COMPLUS Community Voices in Health Governance  Translating Community Participation into Practice in a World of Pluralistic Health System COMPLUS, Community Voices in Health Governance, is a multi-country, multi-city research project led by a consortium of academic, research and action institutions in Brazil, India and South Africa. COMPLUS will examine the changing scape of health systems delivery, particularly the new ways in which public and private care are combined, and what potential role can institutionalised community participation can play in contributing to system effectiveness. COMPLUS will research on what role community participation can play to help foster alignment of bureaucracies, communities and
- [Brewing....](https://complusconsortium.org/coming-soon/)


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