Initiatives in Côte d’Ivoire to reform its health financing and implement strategic purchasing of primary health care aim to accelerate universal health coverage. International organizations provide technical support, just as the P4H Network provides expertise through its P4H country focal person in Côte d’Ivoire.
The process began with webinars organized to orient stakeholders on strategic purchasing of primary health care. The webinars covered the fundamental concepts of health financing (HF), strategic purchasing, the Health Financing Progress Matrix (HFPM) and public financial management in health.
Following the webinars, the Ministry of Health, Public Hygiene and Universal Health of Côte d’Ivoire organized a national workshop in Yamoussoukro, with technical and financial support from the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank Group and the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents. The workshop brought together governmental and nongovernmental actors to discuss HF and strategic purchasing. In preparation for the workshop, P4H Country Focal Person (P4H-CFP) Serge Mayaka used the HFPM to assess the HF system. The assessment served as a basis for structuring the discussions.
Constructive exchanges lead to consensus
The workshop elicited the visions and objectives of the different participants, creating a constructive and strategic dialogue. Participants identified progress made in HF and persistent and remaining challenges. The P4H-CFP assisted in facilitating these exchanges.
The results of the workshop lead the way forward to accelerate progress towards universal health coverage (UHC) in Côte d’Ivoire. Participants embraced the importance of an adapted financing strategy capable of mobilizing more public resources and reducing fragmentation among financing schemes. Conclusions highlighted the need for integration of new technologies to improve health information management, that is essential for the monitoring and evaluation of health services and strategic purchasing.
Recommendations and road map
Recommendations from the workshop emphasized mobilizing national and international financing for health and seeking synergies among different financing mechanisms. A detailed road map was developed to guide the next steps, including conducting cost studies of health care services, developing a harmonized basket of care, and strengthening the communications strategy for better awareness of UHC.
The workshop reaffirmed the collective commitment to UHC in Côte d’Ivoire. Close collaboration between all relevant actors, complementary technical support and expertise, and facilitation of the collaboration, are key factors in transforming this commitment into reality.
