Niger: CSU National Strategy adopted
On Friday July 23, the Council of Ministers adopted the draft decree adopting the National Strategy for University Health Coverage (SNCSU 2021-2030). The overall aim of the strategy covered by this draft decree is to improve physical and financial accessibility to...
Malawi receives an additional consignment of 192,000 AstraZeneca COVID-19 Vaccine
The government of Malawi has received a new consignment of 192 000 AstraZeneca vaccine. It is expected that in total the country will receive 1 345 600 doses of assorted COVID-19 vaccines between now and September, secured through the COVID-19...
Sierra Leone gets a US$50 Million to Address the Continuing Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic
The Government’s quick and decisive actions to contain COVID-19 prevented a larger outbreak and saved lives, yet they also came at an economic cost. Containment measures disrupted the transport of goods within the country, with a heavy impact on the services sector....
Sierra Leone receives additional support for access and effective COVID-19 vaccines deployment
Sierra Leone received an additional US$8.5 million grant to support affordable and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. The funds will provide upfront financing to help purchase and deploy coronavirus vaccines, and to strengthen relevant health systems necessary for...
Sierra Leone’s free health care initiative: Financing implications
In 2010 the Government of Sierra Leone established the Free Health Care Initiative removing user fees (on drugs and consultations) for pregnant women, lactating mothers and children under five. The major objective of the scheme, as far as health financing was...
How Brunei Beat COVID-19
Brunei is one among few countries in Southeast Asian Countries that could avoid a massive surge in cases and deaths. Applying an aggressive strategy of proactive measures, Brunei has succeeded in containing the coronavirus where many of its better-known...
Vaccination targets the high risk groups in Malaysia
Vaccination targets the high risk groups in Malaysia. The scheduling process of COVID-19 vaccine includes taxi and e-hailing drivers as well as p-hailing riders, involving over 50,000 individuals in the service. For more information, please...
Malawi adds an additional $30 million for COVID-19 Vaccine rollout
The government of Malawi received an additional $30million to support the acquisition and deployment of safe, affordable and effective COVID-19 vaccines. This is an additional financing for the existing Malawi’s COVID-19 emergency response and health...
Civil Society petitions Malawi government on $40m for COVID-19 vaccines
A petition by Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) was delivered to the Malawi government through parliament lobbying for a supplementary budget for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines, sufficient to reach 11 million individuals. The CSOs led by Aids Healthcare...
Thai cabinet approves 42-billion-baht for business affected by COVID
Thai cabinet has approved a 42-billion-baht package of financial assistance for people and businesses affected by the government's partial Covid-19 lockdown, currently implemented in Bangkok and nine other provinces to contain the coronavirus outbreak. For more...
Philippines now covers cartridge based PCR tests
The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) is now paying for SARS-CoV-2 testing using cartridge-based polymerase chain reaction or PCR tests. The new benefit package ranges from Php 1,059 to Php 2,287 and will be paid directly to the accredited testing...
Singapore approves $451,000 for people under vaccine injury scheme
Singapore approves a total of $451,000 to cover more than 100 individuals under the vaccine injury scheme. Of total applications, 102 applications were assessed by the Clinical Panel to have met the qualifying criteria for Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance...
Thai cabinet temporarily approves cut of social security contributions for the informal sector workers
Thai cabinet has approved 60 percent reduction of contributions for informal sector workers or people who are insured under section 40 of the Social Security Act for six months, aiming for mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 situation. For more...
Public sector reforms gather momentum and Malawi introduces revenue generation in health facilities
The Malawi health sector is predominantly donor funded (about 58% of the total health expenditure). To ensure reliable and sustainable financing of the health sector, the government of Malawi has embarked on a number of reforms through innovative health financing. One...
Sovereign creditors call for a creditor committee to be formed to restructure Ethiopia’s debt
Ethiopia plans to seek a restructuring of its sovereign debt under a new G20 common framework and is looking at all the available options, the country’s finance ministry announced earlier this year. The Paris Club of sovereign creditors has now called for a...