AMU in Burkina Faso: What funding mechanisms are needed for effective implementation?
What financing mechanisms are needed to make universal health insurance a reality in Burkina Faso ? The issue was the focus of a public conference held in Ouagadougou. Discussions took place between healthcare professionals and students on a master's degree in...
The Ministry of Health inaugurates the Board of Directors of the Gambia National Health Insurance Scheme authority
The ministry of health on 5th May, 2022 inaugurated the board of directors of the newly established National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) authority. Speaking at the event the Minister for Health Doctor Ahmadou Lamin Samateh said this move is long conceived by the...
The Gambia National Health Financing Strategic Plan 2019- 2024
In the past few years, the Gambia has been through the process of implementing several health financing reforms among them include the implementation of the national health insurance scheme to ensure social health protection. The 2019-2024 health financing strategy...
Somalia celebrates Universal Health Coverage day: translating the dream of ‘health for all’ into a reality
The 2021 Universal Health Coverage (UHC) day's theme was ‘Leaving no one’s health behind: Investing in health systems for all.’ This theme is relevant for countries worldwide, including Somalia, particularly after the secondary impacts of the COVID-19...
Gambia Minister of Health tables the National Health Insurance bill
On Monday 8th November 2021, Gambia’s Minister of Health Dr. Ahmad Lamin Samateh tabled the National Health Insurance (NHI) bill 2021 before lawmakers with the hope of securing its legislative consideration, scrutiny, and adoption. The Minister made the following...
Advancing Universal Health Coverage: What Developing Countries Can Learn from the Israeli Experience?
This working paper documents Israel’s experience in implementing universal health coverage amid challenges of insufficient coverage, cost containment, health system equity and a growing private sector. The Israeli health care system has benefited greatly from its...
Integrating refugees into national health systems amid political and economic constraints in the Eastern Mediterranean: Approaches from Lebanon and Jordan
This paper explores the political economy of Lebanon and Jordan for providing social health protection to the large number of refugees that both countries host. In Lebanon, the ability of the existing health system to provide universal health coverage, even for its...
Why is strategic purchasing critical for Universal Health Coverage in Sub-Saharan Africa?
Strategic Purchasing in health is defined as a deliberate effort by governments to direct health funds to priority populations, interventions, and services, and actively create incentives so funds are used by providers equitably and aligned with population health...
Applying the strategic health purchasing progress tracking framework: Lessons from nine African countries
Strategic purchasing by deliberately directing health funds to priority populations, interventions, and services to ensure equity and efficiency can help countries reduce inequalities and out-of-pocket expenditures thereby improving social health protection. To help...
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has signed the 2022 National Health Insurance bill into law
The Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, 19th May, 2022 announced that he signed into law the 2022 National Health Insurance bill. The President made the following remarks, As part of our healthcare reforms, I have signed into law the recently passed 2022...
Sierra Leone is the first country to publish a report based on the WHO Health Financing Progress Matrix
In 2019, the WHO developed a Health Financing Progress Matrix for countries to assess how far they have come in preparing their health financing systems to achieve financial risk protection and attain progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Sierra Leone...
Nigeria gets over three million doses of COVID-19 vaccine
In April, 2022 the Nigeria government received 3,002,400 doses of Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccines. Speaking at the handover ceremony in Abuja, the executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Faisal Shuaib, said the...
Indonesia government to gradually reduce COVID treatment subsidies
Due to the downward trend of COVID-19 cases, the Indonesia government will slowly stop subsidizing the treatment costs of COVID-19 patients. The source of funding for COVID-19 treatment will be shifted from the government to the national health insurance program or...
Australia has committed for more investment to strengthen the health system
To provide ongoing social health protection against COVID-19, the Australian government has committed to the Long Term National Health Plan through strategic investments in Australia's health system with the allocation of $132 billion for health in 2022–23. This...
New Zealand has released health budget 2022
For New Zealand’s health budget 2022, $13.2 billion has been allocated to the health sector over the next four years, aiming to reduce cost pressures and create new services. While $1.8 billion in new spending in the coming year aims to address historic cost...