Multidisciplinary group works to strengthen Paraguay’s health system
Summary: In March 2025, a multi-ministerial group met in Paraguay, including, among others, the ministries of health and finance, to work on strengthening the healthcare system. Within 60 days, they are to propose specific measures for intensive care units. At the...
Nigeria seeks deeper health ties with Brazil, unveils bold agenda for Universal Health Coverage
The Federal Government of Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to Universal Health Coverage by deepening strategic health sector cooperation with Brazil, focusing on local pharmaceutical production, digital health, and workforce development, while drawing lessons...
Botswana commissions health financing study amid aid cuts
Botswana has launched a comprehensive health financing study to track healthcare and HIV and AIDS funding and improve resource allocation and policy planning amid declining international donor support. The findings are expected to guide sustainable financing...
Vietnam enacts new social insurance law effective 1 July
Vietnam’s new Social Insurance Law, effective 1 July, restricts lump-sum payouts to workers who meet specific conditions such as serious illness, emigration, or insufficient contribution years at retirement age, aiming to encourage long-term participation in the...
Ethiopia Joins Brics Health Talks, Backs Stronger Global Cooperation
At the 15th BRICS Health Ministers' Meeting in Brasília, Ethiopia reaffirmed its commitment to global health equity, emphasizing the need for resilient health systems and progress toward Universal Health Coverage. The country also called for enhanced cooperation among...
South Korea Faces Fiscal Crisis in National Health Insurance
South Korea’s national health insurance system is facing a financial crisis, with rising premiums unlikely to ensure long-term fiscal stability, prompting the government to propose abolishing the subsidy sunset system and increasing state funding. However, experts...
Time for Africa to Replace the Curative Consumption Trap with Health Production Model
Africa’s health systems remain trapped in a costly, hospital-centered model focused on treating illness rather than preventing it, which is unsustainable given limited resources and a growing burden of non-communicable diseases. To achieve universal health coverage,...
Egypt steps up health reform with Japan-backed universal coverage initiative
The Egypt Healthcare Authority, in partnership with JICA, has launched the E-PaCC project to expand patient-centred care by 2027, as part of Egypt’s broader healthcare reform. This initiative, which includes international partnerships and advanced quality tools,...
Financing Sustainable Development: How ADB’s Theme Bonds are Transforming the Region
Since 2010, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has raised over $18 billion through specialized theme bonds to address critical challenges in water, education, and healthcare across the Asia-Pacific region, significantly improving access to clean water, educational...
How Sri Lanka’s immunisation system is weathering an economic crisis
M. P. Nirmala, a 26-year-old woman who is a few weeks pregnant with her first child, embodies the confidence many Sri Lankan mothers feel about the country’s healthcare system. At the Divisional Hospital Thalangama, located about 9 kilometers from Colombo, Nirmala...
A new vision for universal health coverage in an age of global displacement
A Lancet Public Health article calls for a cosmopolitan approach to UHC that ensures migrants and refugees have equitable access to health care through global solidarity and inclusive financing.As global migration and displacement reshape societies, a new Lancet...
New OJK Regulation Requires 10% Co-Payment for Health Insurance Claims in Indonesia
The Financial Services Authority (OJK) will implement new regulations from January 1, 2026, requiring commercial health insurance products to adopt a co-payment scheme, coordinate benefits with the National Health Insurance program, and establish a Medical Advisory...
Transforming Health Care Access in the Pacific Islands
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed the need to invest in the service capability and resilience of the health systems of Pacific Island countries. Responding to this need, the World Bank launched three Health System Strengthening operations in Samoa (2020), Kiribati...
Delivering Care When It’s Needed Most: The impactful Power of Fast Funding
The March 2025 earthquakes in Myanmar devastated health services, overwhelming facilities and leaving thousands in urgent need of care. With rapid, flexible support from the WHO’s Contingency Fund for Emergencies, critical health supplies, disease prevention measures,...
Nepal’s health insurance program: challenges and early impacts
Nepal’s National Health Insurance Program (NHIP), launched in 2016 to improve healthcare access and reduce costs, has faced low enrollment and high dropout rates due to concerns about service quality, lack of awareness, administrative delays, and affordability issues....