Belize enhances financial access to health services
In the Americas, financial access to health services continues to be a challenge. Countries find different ways and strategies to tackle this issue. Belize has recently removed all fees charged in public hospitals in the country lifting the financial barrier to...
Building capacity to measure financial protection for UHC in the South-East Asia Region
WHO and World Bank organised South-East Asia UHC training on measuring financial protection highlighted varied forgone healthcare among older populations, and urged consistent measurement and data access.In a recent training on measuring financial protection for...
From Decision to Action: The Africa Epidemics Fund
Establishment of the AfEF demonstrates AU member states' commitment to collective action on health security. However, operational success requires concerted efforts from all stakeholders, emphasising determination and action for Africa's health security and...
Key Voices: State Health Insurance Fund on how insurance is rolled out in the Samarkand region
Uzbekistan is doing a phased implementation of Mandatory Social Health Insurance (MSHI) reform. The first to start was the Syrdarya region in 2021, and several other regions started in 2023. A representative of the State Health Insurance Fund in the Samarkand...
The Irish Health System Financing
The health system in the Republic of Ireland is financed through a combination of public and private funds. The Health Services Executive manages the public services, largely funded through the national budget. Although the government substantially funds the Irish...
WHO Report: Out-of-Pocket Health Costs make healthcare unaffordable for European Households
WHO/Europe report unveils the concerning situation where numerous households in the region face impoverishment due to healthcare expenses, emphasizing the critical need for reform The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released a comprehensive report titled "Can...
The Pandemic Fund announces 500 million dollars in 2nd round of funding
The Pandemic Fund's Governing Board has approved a $500 million grant for its second round of funding, aiming to assist low and middle-income countries in enhancing pandemic preparedness. The online application portal opens in late February, closing on May 17, 2024,...
WHO facilitated knowledge exchange among six countries on pricing and reimbursement of medicines
As reported by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population of Tajikistan and by the State Health Insurance Fund of Uzbekistan, WHO-Europe has conducted a training on pricing and reimbursement of medicines and medical supplies for national...
Workshop on monitoring and evaluation of the social health insurance schemes
ILO, with P4H, facilitated an event from 11-14th December 2023 to train NHIMA staff to monitor social health insurance schemes. NHIMA drives UHC efforts in Zambia via NHIS, extending coverage to vulnerable populations. Effective monitoring is crucial for pilot phase...
COP 28: 41 funders, partners endorse new guiding principles for financing climate and health solutions
A consortium of multilateral development banks and funders, countries and philanthropies published the Guiding Principles for Financing Climate and Health Solutions (“Guiding Principles”), announced at the World Climate Action Summit at the 28th session of Conference...
Namibia launches tools to improve health financing
Namibia launched the National Health Account (NHA) and National AIDS Spending Assessment (NASA) tools to measure and track health spending in the country, aiming to improve health financing on 6 December.Speaking at the launch, Minister of Health and Social Services...
Accelerating Sustainable Health Financing in Africa: The Africa Leaders Meeting (ALM) Declaration in Action
African Constituency Bureau's coverage of the 3rd International Conference on Public Health in Africa, held in Lusaka, Zambia, from November 27-30 linking it with the Africa Leaders Meeting (ALM) Declaration. The 3rd International Conference on Public Health in...
Kenya: High Court suspends implementation of Social Health Insurance Act
Putting a halt to the government's plans, Kenya's High Court suspended the planned implementation of the Social Health Insurance Act 2023 by the Ministry of Health until February 2024.In a brief ruling rendered by Justice Chacha Mwita on Monday, November 27, 2023,...
Tanzania enacts the Universal Health Insurance Bill
On November 1, 2023, the Parliament of the United Republic of Tanzania enacted the Universal Health Insurance Bill, a pivotal piece of legislation aimed at ensuring widespread access to healthcare services for citizens through a comprehensive health insurance system....
Colombia introduces junk food tax
Colombia has implemented a tax on ultra-processed foods, becoming one of the first countries in the Americas to take such a measure to tackle obesity, diabetes, and other lifestyle diseases.The Lancet reports that Colombia is one of the first to tax food high in salt...