Kenya: A review of Makueni Care (October 2019)
Makueni county has launched a health financing scheme called Makueni Care, allowing registered households to access free services at public hospitals. This brief provides an overview of how the scheme works and discusses how the SP4PHC team will support the County...
Purchasing at the county level in Kenya (October 2019)
Strategic Purchasing for Primary Health Care (SP4PHC) project aims to improve how governments purchase primary health care (PHC) services, with a focus on family planning (FP) and maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH). The project is supported by the Bill &...
Health Insurance Associations of Japanese Corporations face deficit in wake of COVID 19
Japan’s Health Insurance Associations that is covered by the employer corporations based on contributions made from salaries has taken a hit due to COVID 19 estimates the National Federation of Health Insurance Societies. 78% of the nation's health-insurance unions...
Federal budget gives$2.3 billion boost to mental health services, with bulk going to diagnosis and treatment centres
The recently announced federal budget of Australia has among other healthcare initiatives, taken a special interest in mental health services, treatment centres and suicide prevention efforts. Of the $2.3 billion over 50% is going to a network of Commonwealth-funded...
$18b aged care budget outlines new care model
The federal budget includes almost $8 billion over four years to reform residential aged care with around half of that going toward funding and reporting a minimum of 200 care minutes for residents each day. The funding is part of a five-year $17.7 billion aged care...
Federal budget 2021: Health reforms could save Aussies millions
Key private health reforms revealed in the budget, which includes closing a loophole that dissuades people earning more than $90,000 a year from taking out private health insurance, slashing the cost of medical devices and reviewing tax rebates, could dramatically cut...
Bringing Private Midwives into Indonesia’s National Health Insurance Scheme: Brief (July 2020)
This brief summarizes findings from a landscaping study conducted by Universitas Gadjah Mada’s (UGM) Center for Reproductive Health, ThinkWell’s learning partner. Drawing from an extensive review of the literature, interviews with key stakeholders, and focus group...
Book Launch: Voice, Agency, Empowerment: The Handbook on Social Participation for UHC
The Handbook on Social Participation for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) will be launched on 31 May at 14:00 – 15:00 CET. WHO, UHC2030, Health System Governance Collaborative, UHC-Partnership, and PMNCH invite you to the launch of...
Uganda’s Emergency Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study (September 2020)
This case study provides a preliminary review of the Government of Uganda’s initial response to COVID-19 from March to June 2020 across institutional, financial, and operational dimensions. It seeks to capture the priorities and investments made early in the...
Bringing Private Midwives into Indonesia’s National Health Insurance Scheme: A Landscape Analysis (July 2020)
This report summarizes findings from a landscaping study that ThinkWell and the Center for Reproductive Health at Universitas Gadjah Mada undertook in 2018 on JKN engagement with private midwives under the Strategic Purchasing for Primary Health Care (SP4PHC) project....
Overview of Health Financing Flows in Uganda (April 2021)
This report documents the nature and magnitude of financial flows to Uganda’s health sector and the purchase of primary health care (PHC) services. Developed in consultation with the Ugandan Ministry of Health (MOH), it serves as a corollary to ThinkWell’s review of...
Reproductive Health Voucher Schemes in Uganda: How They Worked and Lessons for the Future (February 2021)
In Uganda, voucher schemes improved access to family planning (FP) and maternal newborn health (MNH) services for poor women in rural areas. This was largely due to their targeted approach of improving access to high-quality services. On the national stage, voucher...
How Primary Health Care Services Are Financed in Uganda: A Review of the Purchasing Landscape (September 2020)
In the context of health systems, purchasing refers to the allocation of pooled funds to providers of services on behalf of a population. The World Health Report 2000 pushed forward the idea that countries should move beyond passive purchasing, where the purchaser...
No time to lose: we must increase budgets now for COVID-19 rollout
This blog provides information for colleagues concerned with COVID-19 immunization about the need for Ministries of Health and Ministries of Finance officials to work together to budget for COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Authors: Peter Cowley, Nathalie Vande Maele – all...