The sudden suspension of United States funding to the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and Gavi in 2025 has raised serious concerns for global immunisation programmes. Historically, US support has been instrumental in reducing child mortality and...

Japan seeks to ease Africa’s debt burden with low-cost loans
Japan is considering offering low-cost loans to African countries to support debt management and provide an alternative financing option amid shifting global aid and investment patterns.Japan is preparing to expand its support for African nations by offering low-cost...

Tajikistan moves closer to universal health coverage by testing groundbreaking reforms in Sughd region
Tajikistan’s UHC pilot in Sughd is testing health financing reforms to cut out-of-pocket costs, pool budgets, and expand primary care access. Backed by WHO, EU, and UHC-P, the initiative aims to reduce inequities, strengthen services, and lay the foundation for...

Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan explore cooperation in mandatory health insurance
Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan health officials met in Baku to discuss the 2025–2028 Action Plan under their MoU. Uzbekistan seeks to learn from Azerbaijan’s success with mandatory health insurance, with sessions covering healthcare costs, IT, HR, financing, and...

African Summit Looks for Solutions to Health Funding Crisis
At the Africa Health Sovereignty Summit, leaders led by Ghana’s President Mahama and ex-Nigerian president Obasanjo called for African-funded health systems, rejecting aid dependency. WHO’s Tedros urged health taxes, efficiency, and sovereignty to counter massive aid...
A “Diagonal” Approach to Integrating Nutrition into Health Systems: Opportunities, Challenges, and the Way Forward
This post was first published by the Center for Global Development on 19 November, 2024. Despite decades of global efforts, nutrition remains underprioritized, siloed, and poorly integrated within health systems and universal health coverage (UHC) efforts. This...
Health and social action sector policy letter 2025-2029 – Senegal
In 2025, Senegal's Ministry of Health and Social Action (MSAS) has developed a health sector policy letter in a participatory and inclusive manner, involving all key players in the sector, under the supervision of the Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Cooperation...
Niger’s Investment Case for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition 2022-2026
The Government of Niger and the Ministry of Public Health, Population and Social Affairs have developed their investment case for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition with the support of the Global Financing Facility. This...
Senegal Health Compact 2025 – Towards Universal Health Coverage
This document, published in 2025, materializes the moral, ethical and economic commitment between the government and its development partners, to effectively support the implementation of health and Universal Health Coverage policies.

Shastha Chorcha Forum: Advancing Universal Health Coverage in Bangladesh
The second “Shastha Chorcha” by WHO Bangladesh gathered global and local health leaders to address challenges in achieving Universal Health Coverage. Emphasis was placed on innovation, leadership, community engagement, and collaboration for sustainable health...

South Africa’s Treasury steps in after Pepfar cuts, boosts HIV funding and health infrastructure
South Africa’s Treasury has allocated R753.5 m (42.7M USD) to plug gaps in HIV/AIDS programmes following Pepfar funding cuts, while new research investments and health infrastructure projects are underway.South Africa’s National Treasury has committed R753.5 million...

Vietnam seeks WHO assistance in disease response, universal health care
The WHO Director-General praised Vietnam’s strong health policies and affirmed continued support in strengthening grassroots healthcare and public health systems. Prime Minister Chinh highlighted Vietnam’s shift toward prevention-focused healthcare and called for...

WHO, Alnowair ink MoU to advance mental health, universal health coverage in Kuwait
The WHO Country Office in Kuwait and Alnowair have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on promoting mental health, advancing universal health coverage, and enhancing community engagement, especially among youth. This partnership aims to empower...

ADB Launches Regional Network to Accelerate Universal Health Coverage in Asia and the Pacific
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has launched the UHC PEERS network to facilitate peer-to-peer learning and accelerate universal health coverage across Asia and the Pacific, enabling countries to share solutions for expanding health access and strengthening health...

Empowering the Health Sector Through Solar Access: A Lifeline for Zimbabwe’s Medical Facilities
The installation of solar power in over 200 rural health facilities across Zimbabwe has enabled uninterrupted medical care, improved vaccine storage, and expanded access to essential health services, resulting in higher vaccination rates and reduced disease...