South Africa’s NHI aims for universal healthcare but risks higher costs, reduced access, overburdened public hospitals, provider exits, rising lawsuits, and costly transitions. Without viable alternatives, it could destabilise both public and private healthcare...
Germany expedites cuts to social welfare, pensions, and healthcare to cover military spending, deepening poverty for workers and pensioners while sparing the wealthy. Rising deficits fuel class tensions, prompting calls for socialist reorganization.Germany is moving...
Out-of-pocket health spending in the Philippines hit ₱615B in 2024, 42.7% of total healthcare costs, exposing families to debt as government schemes lag behind rising expenses. Experts urge reforms and new financing tools like sin taxes to ease the unsustainable...
Belgium’s summer agreement reforms healthcare by limiting excessive doctor surcharges, ensuring fair billing and equal reimbursements, curbing pharmaceutical overspending, and promoting sustainable care while preserving provider autonomy. This marks a historic step...
This peer review journal article published in 2023 analyses catastrophic health expenditures and effects on household impoverishment in Togo. Since 2015, Togo has been committed to working towards ensuring access to quality health care without its citizens incurring...
This study compared health financing schemes for low-income populations across six East Asian societies, analyzing eligibility, coverage, and benefits. Results showed Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Korea provide stronger financial protection, while mainland China lags...
In WHO Southeast Asia, only 1 in 5 women and 1 in 4 men have health insurance, with major gaps due to cultural, economic, and systemic factors. Tailored policies, stronger financing, and community education are needed to boost coverage and achieve Universal Health...
A new Lancet Public Health editorial highlights the wide-reaching impact of conditional cash transfers on health, equity, and economic resilience—especially in times of fiscal strain.In its July 2025 issue, The Lancet Public Health spotlights the transformative role...
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...
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...
Hungary’s government and pharmaceutical sector agreed to freeze prices on 44 common medicines at end-2024 levels until June 2026, aiming to curb inflation and protect families and pensioners from unjustified price hikesHungary has entered a voluntary agreement with...
Africa CDC and partners launch a digital portal to help 50 AU countries plan and finance efforts to eliminate NTDs by 2030, aligning with AU’s Agenda 2063 and national health strategies.Fifty African Union Member States have endorsed a new digital micro-planning...
Portugal faces higher-than-average catastrophic health spending in Europe, primarily impacting the poorest households and driven by outpatient medicine costs. Despite universal access based on residence and a relatively comprehensive benefits package, coverage gaps...
Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health, supported by the WHO, held a high-level dialogue on the draft bill to establish the Sierra Leone Agency for Universal Health Coverage (SLAUHC), aiming to unify and streamline national health financing through integration of the Free...
Rapid ageing and rising non-communicable diseases are straining South and Southeast Asia’s underfunded healthcare systems. Countries are boosting funding, adopting digital health, and improving preventive care, but rural access gaps and high costs persist despite...
