Tanzania enacts the Universal Health Insurance Bill
On November 1, 2023, the Parliament of the United Republic of Tanzania enacted the Universal Health Insurance Bill, a pivotal piece of legislation aimed at ensuring widespread access to healthcare services for citizens through a comprehensive health insurance system....
Global report on the use of sugar-sweetened beverage taxes, 2023
The global assessment finds sugar-sweetened beverage taxes are widespread but generally too low to significantly reduce consumption and improve public health. This report provides a global assessment of taxes applied to sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). It describes...
WHO technical manual on alcohol tax policy and administration
A new WHO manual offers guidance on using alcohol taxes to reduce consumption and improve public health.The WHO technical manual on alcohol tax policy and administration is a practical guide and a call to action for policymakers and others involved in alcohol tax...
Gender-specific inequalities in coverage of Publicly Funded Health Insurance Schemes in Southern States of India: evidence from National Family Health Surveys
The paper published in BMC Public Health analyses the gender inequities in accessing Publicly Funded Health Insurance Schemes (PFHIS) in the Southern States of India using data from the National Family Health Surveys to measure impact on universal health coverage....
P4H Annual Review 2022-2023
As in previous years, in 2022-2023 P4H Network members undertook numerous activities advancing SHP at both global and country levels. SHP promotes a rights-based approach to universal social protection and UHC. At the global level, the September 2022 P4H-TEG meeting...
P4H Annual Review 2022-2023 – Annex
Hungarians are spending more on voluntary health insurance
The European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies published a brief policy analysis that documented the increase in voluntary health insurance expenses and corresponding increase in the use of services paid by voluntary health funds in Hungaria: Act XCVI of 1993...
Health Financing Progress Matrix assessment: Pakistan 2023
This report provides a summary of findings and recommendations based on the Health Financing Progress Matrix assessment in Pakistan. In addition to identifying strengths and weaknesses in Pakistan’s health financing system, priority areas are highlighted in order to...
Gender blindness in social health protection could deter Africa’s progress towards universal health coverage
In recent years social protection has gained increased recognition as a powerful tool for poverty alleviation and vulnerability reduction. The International Labour Organization acknowledges its significance, and it's explicitly incorporated into the United Nations...
White paper on Indonesia’s health financing system (2023-2034)
The Centre for Indonesia's Strategic Development and Initiatives recently published and launched a White Paper on Indonesia's Health Sector Development (2024-2023). The Paper includes 14 Chapters. This Chapter titled Invest Wisely, Execute Strategically, Achieve More-...
Universal health coverage in China part 2: addressing challenges and recommendations
This article is the second part of the series and provides recommendations for health financing and social health protection in China.The artilce uses a health system conceptual framework and proposes a set of feasible policy recommendations that draw from...
P4H country focal person in Viet Nam helps with COVID-19 related health financing processes
Viet Nam experienced COVID-19 differently from the rest of the world, although it has suffered from the social and economic impact of the global pandemic. The worldwide economic slowdown, combined with the confinement measures taken in-country, translated in Viet Nam...
From aspiration to reality: Cameroon sets the stage for universal health coverage (UHC)
Universal health coverage takes hold in Cameroon, undergirded by political will, budget commitments, coordinated stakeholders. In 2023, Cameroon prioritizes women’s health and health services for children under five years of age in five of 10...
Colombia introduces junk food tax
Colombia has implemented a tax on ultra-processed foods, becoming one of the first countries in the Americas to take such a measure to tackle obesity, diabetes, and other lifestyle diseases.The Lancet reports that Colombia is one of the first to tax food high in salt...
Malaysia MOH Moots National Health Insurance With Employee, Employer, Government Contributions
Malaysia is exploring a national health insurance scheme funded by employees, employers, and the government that will be “run by the government, non-profit driven, and uses the philosophy of shared responsibility," says Dr Zaliha Mustafa, the Minister of...