Advancing Sustainable Healthcare Delivery Through Systems of Systems Governance and Sustainability Governance Theories

Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being) demands cohesive governance strategies to address fragmented healthcare systems and align interventions with sustainability imperatives. This paper proposes a Systems of Systems (SoS) governance framework to harmonize multi-tiered healthcare delivery with global sustainability objectives. Drawing on sustainability governance theories–Transition Theory, Metagovernance, Polycentricity, Network Governance, and Experimentalist Governance–we integrate these principles with SoS dynamics to create a tripartite governance model. The framework comprises three interconnected layers: (1) Meta-governance, led by governmental entities to set national healthcare goals and align policies with the 2030 Agenda; (2) Governing System, operationalized by agencies like the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to coordinate sustainability initiatives, resource allocation, and oversight; and (3) Governed System, encompassing healthcare providers and infrastructure tasked with delivering equitable, resilient care. By mapping SDG 3's 13 targets to distinguish healthcare tiers (individual, care team, organizational, and policy levels), the framework ensures context-specific interventions while maintaining systemic coherence. The discussion highlights implementation challenges, scalability across diverse healthcare contexts, and aligning multi-level interventions with sustainability targets. This work bridges theoretical and practical gaps in sustainable healthcare governance, offering policymakers and practitioners a structured roadmap to advance health sustainability goals.