The case for investment in tobacco control: lessons from four countries in the Americas
This study in the Pan American Journal of Public Health from 2022 explores the case of investing in tobacco control in Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Suriname. Health taxes, for example on tobacco products, are considered opportune for both reducing unhealthy...
Implementation of Taxation on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages by the Government of Barbados
This 2016 policy brief produced by the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (with the support of the NCD Alliance) provides an overview of the approaches used by the Barbados Ministry of Finance in the adoption of sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxation.
Caribbean & Central America knowledge exchange to reform health financing
Caribbean and Central American senior health officials met in Washington D.C. in June 2023 to discuss health financing and explore ways to accelerate progress toward universal health coverage (UHC). Country leaders, health officials, policymakers, experts, and...
Financing pandemic prevention, preparedness and response: Invest now or pay a heavy price in the future
The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare the devastating consequences of chronic underinvestment in pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPPR). Despite the staggering toll—over 28 million excess deaths and trillions of dollars in economic losses—the global...
Maldives, Thailand sign MoU on health; WHO lauds collaboration
The Maldives and Thailand signed a MoU to enhance cooperation in health care, focusing on strengthening primary health care in the Maldives and improving regulatory systems. The agreement encompasses areas such as training for health professionals, health policy...
Health insurance premiums in India now outpace national health budget
A surge in private insurance premiums has overtaken India’s public health budget, raising concerns over equity and access in the country’s shifting healthcare landscape.India’s healthcare financing is transforming, with individual health insurance premiums now...
Changes to Universal Health Care Law urged in Philippines
Senator Bong Go urged the swift approval of Senate Bill 2620 to amend the Universal Health Care Act. The bill includes provisions that reduce premium contributions for PhilHealth members, notably benefiting Filipino migrant workers by having the government cover half...
Strengthening community health in Senegal: Lessons from a Ministry-led self-assessment
A new policy brief, developed by Senegal’s Ministry of Health and Social Action with support from the Financing Alliance for Health, uses the Community Health Financing Assessment (CHFA) toolkit to evaluate the current state of community health financing in Senegal....
The ethics of behaviour-based insurance models: Solidarity-based concerns in Germany’s statutory health insurance
Sickness funds are starting to use digital behavioral data to encourage physical activity among their members, but the ethical and societal implications, especially in solidarity-based insurance systems, are not well understood. While these programs may foster new...
Tajikistan: health system review 2025
The health system in Tajikistan operates under a centralized governance structure, primarily managed by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, with the public sector serving as the main provider of health services. Despite efforts to reform and improve...
Effect of community-based health insurance on the use of health service and perceived quality of care in Bacho Woreda, central Ethiopia: A mixed method study
Ethiopia's Community Based Health Insurance (CBHI) scheme significantly enhances outpatient care utilization, as evidenced by a study in Bacho Woreda. The research found that CBHI members were more likely to seek healthcare services, with 60% expressing satisfaction...
Navigating health financing cliffs: a new era in global health
In a Comment published in The Lancet, Kumanan Rasanathan, Maylene M Beltran, Alberta A Biritwum-Nyarko, Mark S Blechner, Mark Dybul, Hajime Inoue, and colleagues raise the alarm on the steep decline in development assistance for health and the deepening crisis it has...
G20 urged to back health taxes on harmful products to combat global rise in chronic disease
To tackle the global rise in non-communicable diseases, researchers urge the G20 to support stronger health taxes on harmful products like sugary drinks, tobacco, alcohol, and ultra-processed foods.By 2030, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, cancer,...
Nigeria To Strengthen Health Security Through New Accountability Framework
Stakeholders from government, civil society, and public health agencies gathered in Abuja to validate a health security accountability framework aimed at promoting responsible health financing and equitable vaccine access. Dr. Celestine Okorie of HERFON emphasized the...
Confronting the non-communicable disease burden in developing countries
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the world’s leading cause of death, and their burden is growing fastest in developing countries. By 2030, an estimated 52 million people will die from NCDs annually—three-quarters of them in low- and middle-income countries...