Since October 2022, the National Health Security Office has incorporated pharmacy services for 16 common conditions, including headache, dizziness, pain in joint, muscle pain, fever, cough, sore throat, stomachache, diarrhoea, constipation, dysuria, vaginal discharge,...

Study Calls for Overhaul of Provider Payment Systems to Strengthen Tanzania’s Universal Health Insurance
A 2023–25 IHI–LSHTM study urges reform of Tanzania’s provider payment mechanisms as UHI rolls out. NHIF’s fee-for-service is reliable but paperwork-heavy, while capitation faces delays and low rates. Researchers call for fair, timely, and simple systems to boost...

Cabinet set to review National Health Insurance Bill as Zimbabwe targets universal health coverage
Zimbabwe has finalised its National Health Insurance Bill, set for Cabinet approval and rollout by 2026. Funded through earmarked taxes, it guarantees full primary care coverage and scales up at higher levels, aiming to reduce out-of-pocket costs and ensure equitable,...

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...

Nepal Health Minister announces doubling of insurance support for patients with severe illnesses
Nepal will double health insurance support for eight critical illnesses to Rs 200,000 from July, also expanding enrollment, funding, and including compulsory insurance for government employees for greater program sustainabilityNepal’s Minister for Health and...

Croatian Parliament amends Mandatory Health Insurance Act
Croatia expanded health insurance exemptions, raised sickness benefits, reformed healthcare staff rules by abolishing internships, tightened misconduct standards, and passed a law requiring a master’s degree for speech therapists, with two years to comply. The...

Proposed inclusion of new benefits in Uruguay
Uruguay's Minister of Public Health is proposing the inclusion of new benefits in the National Resources Fund basket. These include medical equipment and medicines for heart disease and cancer treatments. In June 2025, the Minister of Public Health, Cristina...

Health insurance programme to be restructured amid effectiveness concerns
The Nepalese government plans to restructure the national health insurance program to improve its effectiveness and sustainability, emphasizing stricter enforcement of the Health Insurance Act and raising the benefit cap for insured individuals. With Rs 10 billion...

The Danish Health Authority initiates key health reform tasks
The Danish Health Authority is developing proposals for a National Health Plan, standardized general practice services, and chronic disease care pathways to improve access, quality, and coordination. The reforms, involving stakeholders, start in 2027 for a more...
Primary health care financing: a situation assessment and policy options for Tajikistan
Tajikistan’s primary health care, based on a family medicine model, faces low per-capita funding, outdated financing, and persistent informal payments. To strengthen it, the country should pilot per-capita payment systems, update the benefits package for better...

Australia’s health system in need of genuine reforms
Australia's healthcare system faces significant challenges, including financial barriers to accessing care, inadequate support for chronic conditions, and underfunded mental health and dental services. Urgent reforms are needed to ensure the system can effectively...

Update on Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY)
The Economic Survey 2024-25 highlights the effectiveness of the Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY scheme in reducing Out-of-Pocket Expenditure (OOPE) by saving over ₹1.25 lakh crore and significantly increasing government health spending, which rose from 29.0% to 48.0% between...
Breaking Barriers to Universal Health Coverage: Insights from Georgia’s Chronic Disease Medicine Program
Despite global advances toward Universal Health Coverage, financial protection remains a challenge in low- and middle-income countries, with out-of-pocket pharmaceutical costs driving poverty and inequality in Georgia. The study found that while Georgia’s Chronic...
Financing healthcare services: a qualitative assessment of private health insurance schemes in Ghana
The study evaluates the operations and performance of Private Health Insurance Schemes (PHIS) in Ghana, highlighting their diverse benefit packages and flexible payment structures that enhance healthcare access and quality. It emphasizes the need for PHIS to establish...
Catastrophic health expenditure associated with non-inpatient costs among middle-aged and older individuals in China
The primary social health insurance schemes in China, UEMIS and URRMS, mainly cover non-inpatient expenditures, neglecting costs associated with outpatient care and medications. A study found that over 60% of participants used non-inpatient services recently, with...