Since 2005, Nepal government has implemented Maternity Incentive Scheme (MIS) to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPs) for institutional birth. This study aimed to assess MIS coverage in Nepal and OOPs among women who had institutional births. Findings showed that...
Political economy analysis of universal health coverage and health financing reforms in low- and middle-income countries: the role of stakeholder engagement in the research process
Progress towards universal health coverage (UHC) is an inherently political process. Political economy analysis (PEA) is gaining momentum as a tool to better understand the role of the political and economic dimensions in shaping and achieving UHC in different...
Expanding Social Health Protection in Cambodia: An assessment of the current coverage potential and gaps, and social equity considerations
"To inform social health protection policy, the authors examined socio-economic survey data and administrative coverage data to assess the coverage potential of existing coverage mechanisms and current gaps; and compare equitable contribution rates."
Who benefits from healthcare spending in Cambodia? Evidence for a universal health coverage policy
"Using a system-wide approach, this study assesses how benefits from healthcare spending are distributed across socioeconomic groups in Cambodia."
Forgone healthcare and financial burden due to out-of-pocket payments in Bangladesh: a multilevel analysis
This study aimed to examine the burden of out-of-pocket payment and forgone healthcare in Bangladesh, and further explores the inequalities in catastrophic health expenditures (CHE) and forgone healthcare at the national and sub-national levels. Data came from the...
Health coverage for workers in Egypt
This study explains the healthcare coverage that Egyptian employees receive based on formal employment. The paper details the legislative, institutional and technical aspects relevant to various occupational healthcare (OCH) services in Egypt, emphasizing the central...
Healthcare financing in Egypt: a systematic literature review
The Egyptian healthcare system has multiple stakeholders, including a wide range of public and private healthcare providers and several financing agents. This study sheds light on the healthcare system’s financing mechanisms and the flow of funds in Egypt. It also...
Strategies for reducing expenditures in Iran’s health transformation plan: A qualitative study
Iran’s health transformation plan (HTP) came into force in 2014 to counter the increasing health care and out-of-pocket expenditure in the country. This study was conducted to investigate the direct increase in the expenditures of the Iranian health system in HTP. The...
Out-of-Pocket and Informal Payment Before and After the Health Transformation Plan in Iran: Evidence from Hospitals Located in Kurdistan, Iran
Reducing out of pocket (OOP) payments for inpatient services and eradicating informal payments was one of the objectives of Iran’s health transformation plan (HTP). This study determines the change in frequency of OOP payments and informal cash payments for health...
Universal health coverage in Iran: Where we stand and how we can move forward
The health transformation plan (HTP) introduced in 2014 has contributed to equitable accessible health care for all Iranian citizens. This article describes Iran’s HTP and how it has resulted in significant improvements in health outcomes. It summarizes the main...
Iran health insurance system in transition: equity concerns and steps to achieve universal health coverage
Health insurance reforms like the Health Transformation Program (2014) in Iran have had an impact on equity, efficiency, sustainability and quality of health care. This influences the country’s progress towards universal health coverage (UHC). This study documents...
Patient-Centered Care: Transforming the Health Care System in Vietnam With Support of Digital Health Technology
Over the recent decades, Vietnam has attained remarkable achievements in all areas of health care. However, shortcomings including health disparities persist particularly with a rapidly aging population. This has resulted in a shift in the disease burden from...
Financing health care in the WHO South-East Asia Region: Time for a reset
Authors: Ajay Tandon, Valeria Oliveira Cruz , Aarushi Bhatnagar, Hui Wang, Trina Haque, and Manoj Jhalani Year: 2021 This paper focuses on the economic impact of COVID-19 on health financing in countries of the World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Region....
Socio-demographic predictors of willingness to pay for premium of national health insurance: A cross-sectional survey of six districts in Sierra Leone
The government of Sierra Leone has been exploring the introduction of a social health insurance scheme as a measure to remove financial barriers that put households at a risk of impoverishment in accessing health care. This study was conducted to find out the...
Assessing the feasibility of introducing health insurance in Afghanistan: a qualitative stakeholder analysis
The health financing system in Afghanistan remains fragile due to high out-of-pocket spending and reliance on donor funding. Households’ out-of-pocket expenditures or direct payments for health services account for 73% of total health expenditure with 75% of the...