The Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP) V for 2024/25–2028/29 outlines a comprehensive approach to advancing Rwanda's health sector toward universal health coverage by 2030, aligning with broader national and global goals. It focuses on five strategic pillars:...

Rwanda unveils fifth Health Sector Strategic Plan to advance universal health coverage
Rwanda’s Ministry of Health has launched the fifth Health Sector Strategic Plan to strengthen healthcare and achieve universal health coverage by 2030. Focus areas include workforce, infrastructure, quality care, and innovation, with a funding gap of 21%-32%. The...
Health systems in action: Tajikistan
Tajikistan’s health system offers a publicly financed basic benefits package, but many individuals remain ineligible for coverage. Most healthcare services are publicly managed by the government. Initiatives like 'Health for All' and the 'Universal Health Coverage'...

Barbados celebrates UHC day 2024
On UHC day in December 2024, Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean nations reconfirm their commitment to access for their population to quality health services, without financial hardship. Achieving this goal is a particular challenge for small island developing states,...
The current situation of health equity in underserved areas of Afghanistan
Providing universal health coverage (UHC) in Afghanistan faces challenges due to the country's geographic topography and gender dynamics. A significant number of primary healthcare facilities are unevenly distributed, leaving nearly 25% of the population underserved,...

Health Insurance Organisation orders GHS review
A foreign consultancy will evaluate Cyprus’s healthcare, focusing first on hospitals and pharmacies to improve service effectiveness and forecast needs. The study will guide policies, alongside new legislation for provider licensing, aiming to enhance quality,...

Achieving social justice through inclusive social health protection
The ILO and Mahidol University are hosting a special event on 6 February 2025 to mark the World Day of Social Justice. The event will highlight the importance of universal social health protection in advancing social justice.To commemorate the World Day of Social...

Indonesia strengthens health expenditure tracking to advance universal health coverage
Indonesia is enhancing health expenditure tracking to improve resource allocation and accelerate progress toward universal health coverage (UHC). Supported by WHO, the Ministry of Health is adopting advanced tools to refine spending analysis and strengthen health...
Malta: health system summary 2024
Malta has a tax-based national health system that provides nearly universal access to its citizens, with significant out-of-pocket spending accounting for 30% of total health expenditure in 2021. The country is focused on enhancing healthcare infrastructure and...
Luxembourg: health system review 2024
Luxembourg's health system, based on statutory health insurance and public financing, provides universal access and low out-of-pocket expenses, while facing challenges in workforce shortages that the government is addressing through domestic training programs and...

WHO webinar on key findings of the Global Health Expenditure Report 2024
WHO has updated the Global Health Expenditure Database (GHED) for over 190 Member States and is hosting a Webinar on February 4, 2025, to discuss the key findings of the 2024 Global Health Expenditure Report launched in December 2024. The World Health Organization...
Socio-economic factors in healthcare allocation: Insights from Italy’s 2023 NHS reform
The article "The Role of Socio-Economic Determinants in the Interregional Allocation of Healthcare Resources: Some Insights from the 2023 Reform in the Italian NHS" by Roberto Fantozzi, Stefania Gabriele, and Alberto Zanardi, published in the Journal of Health Policy,...

Paris to host 11th IRDES-LIRAES workshop on applied health economics and policy evaluation
The 11th IRDES-LIRAES Workshop on Applied Health Economics and Policy Evaluation will be held in Paris on June 16-17, 2025. Experts will discuss healthcare equity, financing, and policy evaluation. The event includes presentations, discussions, and networking....

Containing costs and nudging doctors and hospitals towards policy goals in Japan
Japan controls health care costs with a fee schedule setting prices and billing conditions. The fee schedule is revised biennially to align with policy goals. Annual price cuts for pharmaceuticals and devices create fiscal space for priority areas. This approach could...
Equity in healthcare financing: A review of evidence
The research paper "Equity in Healthcare Financing: A Review of Evidence", authored by Emilia Luyten and Sandy Tubeuf and published in the Journal of Health Policy (2024), examines the redistributive effects of various healthcare financing mechanisms on income...
