On 22 January 2024, PMAC side meeting – financing of primary health care in Southeast Asia Region was held in Bangkok, Thailand. This event was co-organized by WHO South-East Asia Region, Chulalongkorn University, and Mahidol University.
In this side meeting, P4H community facilitator Aungsumalee Pholpark, Hsu Myat Mon, and Piya Hanvoravongchai, presented the findings of a systematic scoping review on the financing of primary health care (PHC) across 11 countries in the WHO Southeast Asia Region: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Timor-Leste. Additionally, it aimed to highlight bottlenecks and good practices in the financing of PHC within four specifically selected countries—Bangladesh, Indonesia, Maldives, and Nepal.
Furthermore, the session anticipates gaining valuable insights and lessons through an expert panel discussion focusing on four key aspects: (1) sources and levels of financing for PHC; (2) mobilizing resources for PHC; (3) purchasing mechanisms for PHC; and (4) political economy dynamics influencing PHC financing reforms.
The panel discussion underscored a fragmentation in the financing of PHC, emphasizing the necessity for countries to systematically collect and track PHC spending while safeguarding budget allocations to PHC. It emphasized the importance of designing a comprehensive PHC package and enhancing its appeal among both policy decision-makers and users.
Additionally, the alignment of the private sector with government regulations was emphasized as crucial when engaging with private providers. Lastly, the importance of financing essential medicines for PHC was highlighted as a means to reduce out-of-pocket expenditures associated with medicines.
This event fosters collaboration and knowledge exchange on financing of PHC for moving towards UHC among countries in Southeast Asia.
