This document gives an overview of the health care transformation envisioned in Saudi Arabia’s “Vision 2030”, spelling out the underlying national goals. Led by the Ministry of Health and developed in close collaboration with the National Transformation Program, it...

The Global Survey on HTA and Health Benefit Packages: Interactive Database and Findings
Developing systematic decision-making processes for health that are fair and transparent is an important step towards achieving universal health coverage (UHC). However, having such decision-making processes alone is not enough. These processes should have clear...

Social protection – Developing countries should invest US$1.2 trillion to guarantee basic health
A new study by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has recommended that developing countries invest roughly US$1.2 trillion – on average 3.8 per cent of their gross domestic product (GDP), to guarantee at least basic income security and access to essential...

8% of the population in Honduras has no access to health care
In Honduras there is a health system integrated by the public and private sectors. The public sector is composed of the Ministry of Health (financed with resources from the national budget), which provides services to 60% of the population, and the Honduran...

Thai Universal Health Coverage Scheme increased budget to expand HIV/AIDS related services
Ensuring access to comprehensive and quality health care is one of the key policy objectives in Thailand. Since 2005, HIV/AIDS related health services have been included in Universal Health Coverage Scheme (UCS)’s benefit package. Over 17 years, the benefit package...

Russian Ministry of Healthcare is expanding coverage and access to medicines under Medicines-2025 strategy
Minister of Healthcare of the Russian Federation Mikhail Murashko held a meeting of the Board of the Ministry on provision of medicines. This committee regularly meets to ensure population access and coverage of medicines, including regularly expanding the list of...

Saudi Arabia to provide free COVID-19 vaccines in pharmacies
Saudi Arabia will provide coronavirus vaccines in pharmacies around the Kingdom for free as part of its efforts to expand the ongoing inoculation campaign and facilitate access to vaccine sites, he added. The doses will be given to people according to priority...

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman orders free COVID 19 treatment for all, including visa violators
Saudi Arabia's King Salman has ordered coronavirus treatment to be available, free of charge, for all citizens and expatriates in need of medical care, including people who have overstayed their visas in the Kingdom. The government urged all of those showing symptoms...

Azerbaijan handling the pandemic at the expense of its own financial resources
According to the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan carried out all activities in the fight against the pandemic through domestic financial resources. "The COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose serious challenges to the world. Our...

The United States will allocate up to $ 45 million to restore the health care system in Ukraine
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) plans to launch a new project to rebuild the health care system in Ukraine. The department is ready to spend up to $ 45 million on this purpose. “The main goal of activities to restore and ensure...

COVID-19 patients in Oman to be covered by insurance
The Capital Market Authority in Oman has launched an initiative to cover medical tests and treatment costs for COVID-19 infected insured members (nationals and expatriates) under their medical insurance coverage, according to a circular issued by the authority. The...

Thailand drafted a new regulation to prevent additional charges
The Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) in Thailand is one of the key pillars that contributes to universal health coverage ensuring all people access to essential health services without financial hardship. Since 2003, 31 relevant regulations were implemented under the...

Regional Conference on Extending Social Health Protection in the Asia Pacific Region towards Universal Health Coverage
Background: Over the past decades, many countries in Asia and the Pacific have rapidly expanded social health protection coverage. Despite laudable progress, the effective realization of the human rights to health and social security is not yet a reality for all....

Turkey provides COVID 19 treatment and medicine free of charge
Coronavirus treatment and medicine for patients in public hospitals in Turkey has been made free of charge following a presidential decree. It says that all patients, even if they failed to pay state insurance, will be granted protective gear and testing, as well as...

How Far is Estonia from Universal Health Coverage? A research paper
A reseach publication by Polish authors Marzena Tambor, Jacek Klich, and Alicja Domagała titled "Financing Healthcare in Central and Eastern European Countries: How Far Are We from Universal Health Coverage?" explores how healthcare...