The P4H Network and the Leadership for UHC programme have been instrumental in Nepal. A recent mission has increased momentum to collaborate further.
The keenly awaited P4H mission, led by P4H Network Coordinator Claude Meyer and composed of World Health Organization (WHO) Health Economist Tsolmongerel Tsilaajav and World Bank Lead Economist Ajay Tandon, took place in Nepal 17-21 June 2024. All eight key health development partners (HDPs) in Nepal – WHO, UNICEF, the World Bank Group, the International Labor Organization, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the United States Agency for International Development, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the United Kingdom, and German Development Cooperation (GIZ and KfW) participated. The objectives of the mission were to develop shared clarity about implementation of the National Health Financing Strategy (NHFS) among the government of Nepal and its key HDPs, and to align the HDPs’ areas of support and plans with the government’s priorities and needs.
The mission
The week began with an HDP preparatory meeting. During the second day, a stakeholder consultation on NHFS implementation was co-organized by the P4H Network and the Ministry of Health and Population of Nepal (MOHP) to develop shared clarity and commitment among stakeholders. Four technical sessions on fiscal space, health insurance, health taxation and basic health services financing were co-led by different HDPs.
During the third day, the mission team traveled to Gandaki Province to understand the provincial perspectives and engagement plans in NHFS implementation. A provincial stakeholder consultation was co-organized by the Provincial Ministry of Social Development and Health and the P4H Network. During the fourth day, the mission team deliberated with the national HDPs on aligning their areas of support and plans with the government’s priorities and needs.
The final day began with a high-level multisectoral consultation meeting among the chief secretary, secretaries and joint secretaries from the MOHP, Office of the Prime Minister of Nepal, National Planning Commission, and the Ministry of Finance of Nepal and the P4H mission team. The discussion underscored the need for and strengthened collective ownership of improving public health expenditures efficiency, expanding fiscal space for health, engaging the nonhealth sector and implementing NHFS at subnational level. The mission ended with a wrap-up meeting with senior MOHP officials.
An exemplary collaboration
The eight-year journey of the Leadership for UHC (L4UHC) programme (2016-2024) of the P4H Network in Nepal has produced several results: increased adaptive capacity in the government; more robust coalitions among UHC stakeholders; authorizing environment for governance innovations; and aligned engagement of national HDPs in Nepal’s mission to achieve UHC, resulting in formulation of Nepal’s first NHFS. Building on these outcomes, the recent P4H mission to Nepal increased momentum among P4H partners and the government of Nepal about collaboratively and effectively implementing the NHFS. Thus, the mission set a strong base for rolling out the next round of the L4UHC programme in Nepal, where provincial governments will executing Rapid Result Initiatives on various topics most pertinent to them in NHFS implementation.
