This peer-reviewed article assesses the distribution of healthcare utilization and spending in Mauritius, where free healthcare services have been provided for decades, yet the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) service index remains relatively low. Using Benefit...
Can people afford to pay for health care? Evidence on financial protection in Albania
Financial protection in Albania is weak compared to many other European countries. Catastrophic health spending is heavily concentrated among the poorest households and largely driven by out-of-pocket payments for outpatient medicines. Levels of unmet need for health...
Nepal: National Health Financing Strategy 2080- 2090
The National Health Financing Strategy 2080- 2090 includes strategic interventions to expand fiscal space for health, strengthen social protection, improve resource generation, and improve health financing governance, accountability, and transparency in the health...
Law 346: Free health services for women during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum period
It establishes free curative medical care and comprehensive general health services for women during pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium in all public health facilities. The public health system should encourage the strengthening of all relevant actions for the...
Willingness to pay for a National Health Insurance Scheme: a contingent valuation study
This study evaluated households' willingness to pay (WTP) for a proposed National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Gambia, following the 2021 enactment of the National Health Insurance Bill. Surveying heads of households from July to August 2020, the study used a...
Assessing the equity and coverage policy sensitivity of financial protection indicators in Europe
The article titled "Assessing the Equity and Coverage Policy Sensitivity of Financial Protection Indicators in Europe," published in the Journal of Health Policy, examines the policy sensitivity of two commonly used catastrophic spending indicators in Europe: the...
Roadmap towards Universal Health Coverage in Cambodia 2024-2035
The Roadmap towards Universal Health Coverage in Cambodia 2024-2035 has been developed in alignment with the National Social Protection Policy Framework and the concept note on the path toward Universal Health Coverage in Cambodia, as adopted by the National Social...

More than 20 000 cancer patients will receive state-paid drug therapy worth 74 mln euros
State funding for oncology drugs has risen from €57M in 2022 to over €74M in 2024, benefiting 18,000 patients. Minister of Health Khosam Abu Meri prioritizes drug accessibility, with a new action plan increasing compensation and expanding individual reimbursement...
Inequality in financial risk protection in health: The case of Venezuelan women in Brazil
Inequalities in financial health protection among Venezuelan migrant women in Brazil were analyzed. The study focused on out-of-pocket health expenditures and catastrophic health expenditures to determine inequalities between migrant and non-migrant women. It found...

Member State Session on Revising SDG UHC Indicators 3.8.1 & 3.8.2
WHO reviews proposed revisions to SDG UHC indicators 3.8.1 & 3.8.2, potentially altering a decade of financial protection data. On 21 August 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) organised an information session for Member States to discuss the revision of...
Member State Information session on Monitoring universal health coverage (SDG target 3.8): Revision of SDG UHC indicators 3.8.1 & 3.8.2
The presentation slides for the "Member State Information Session on Monitoring Universal Health Coverage (Sustainable Development Goals target 3.8): Revision of SDG UHC Indicators 3.8.1 & 3.8.2," held on 21 August 2024, are now available. These slides provide a...

Joint SDG Fund: Social health protection in Albania and Cambodia
Albania and Cambodia are advancing social health protection and employment initiatives through joint programmes supported by the Joint SDG Fund, with a focus on fostering inclusion and universal health coverage.In Cambodia, the Joint SDG Fund is driving key reforms to...

Latvian healthcare workers’ union demands healthcare financing to be increased in 2025
The Latvian Trade Union of Health and Social Care Workers (LHRSW) plans to send an open letter to the government urging an increase in healthcare funding for 2025, said leader Valdis Keris. Latvia’s healthcare spending lags behind the EU average (7.7% of GDP), with...

The National Health Insurance Fund will be able to protect patients’ interests more effectively
Seimas approved amendments to the Health Insurance Law, merging the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) and five territorial funds into a single entity from July 1, 2025. The NHIF Director will also gain authority to impose minimum sanctions on medical...
Utilisation, out-of-pocket payments, and access before and after COVID-19 in Thailand
Thailand’s Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) is a public health insurance scheme that covers more than 70 percent of the Thai population and is funded through tax revenue. This study examined access to health care among Thai population under the UCS before and during...
