Considerable efforts aimed at strengthening the health system to ensure delivery of effective, affordable and efficient services at all levels without financial hardship and achieve better health outcomes have been implemented over the years. To advance this goal, the...
Smaller firms receives COVID wage subsidy in New Zealand
New Zealand paid over $876 million for the Covid-19 wage subsidy scheme so far to support more than a quarter of the country's employees affected by COVID-19. Of the 781,364 jobs are covered under the scheme, 14 percent were for self-employed workers....
Nigeria rolls out 10-year universal health coverage (UHC) plan
In 2020, the Nigerian government started rolling out innovative strategies to optimise services at primary healthcare centres (PHCs) across the country as part of the response to the coronavirus pandemic and possible situations of public emergency. The strategies are...
National Social Protection Policy in Burundi
Health Insurance State Agency appointed the CEO of Healthcare Providers’ Management Union
Azerbaijan’s recently implemented Social Health Insurance Reform might present a special interest to policy-makers because its model is unique and different from all other Post-Soviet countries’ health financing and governance model. Azerbaijan’s Agency for Mandatory...
South Sudan national health policy: 2016-2026
The constitution of the Republic of South Sudan recognizes health as a basic human right to be respected, promoted, and protected. The 2006-2011 national health policy provided guidance on how to implement the mandate of the constitution and work toward attaining...
South Sudan implements a road map to introduce and institutionalize national health accounts (NHA)
In South Sudan, the Ministry of Health (MoH) with support from other international partners in 2017, commenced the implementation of a road map to introduce and institutionalize the NHA. The NHA is a framework for consistent tracking of resource flows within the...
Timor-Leste to compensate Covid vaccine-hit patients
Timor-Leste plans to provide compensation to people who receive adverse reactions or fatalities from Covid-19 vaccine, aiming to encourage the population to get the vaccination due to a rise of new cases and deaths. A patient who experiences a rare case of disability...
Botswana pays equivalent of $15 a dose for Sinovac’s COVID-19 vaccine
As most African countries struggle to procure enough vaccines in the global scramble for vaccines, Botswana’s health minister Edwin Dikoloti (30th of July, 2021) said that the government was paying the equivalent of $15 a dose for the COVID-19 vaccine developed by...
TOGO: Draft law establishing AMU adopted
In Togo, the government is taking a decisive step towards making universal health insurance a reality. After several reviews, the draft bill instituting the measure was adopted by the Council of Ministers on Thursday September 09. This draft bill sets out the legal...
GABON/Finance bill: The government forecasts a drop in resources
The process of drafting the 2022 Finance Bill (PLF), which began on August 5 with the opening of the budget conferences, is set to continue with a technical phase to establish the exact figures for the expected funding. But already, at the close of this financial...
Health financing progress matrix (HFPM) validation workshop
The Ministry of Health with the support of WHO and other partners is conducting a Health Financing Progress Matrix validation workshop. The purpose of the workshop is to validate and update the preliminary results from an assessment of Ethiopia's health...
PhilHealth now covers home isolation of mild and asymptomatic COVID-19 cases
The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) announced a health benefits package to cover home isolation of mild and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients. The COVID-19 Home Isolation Benefit Package (CHIBP) can help free up hospital beds for COVID-19 patients...
COVID-19 vaccines, medicines, test kits added in Thailand Universal Coverage Scheme
In Thailand, the National Health Security Board has approved new benefits packages under the Universal Coverage Scheme that consist of COVID-19 vaccines, medicines, test kits, and medical supplies. The new benefits packages enable the National...
Swaziland second national health sector strategic plan (NHSSP II) 2014- 2018: Towards attainment of universal health coverage (UHC)
The Swaziland’s NHSSP II represents the medium-term strategic focus for the health sector to support attainment of the national development agenda. It is designed around the need to attain UHC with health and related services as defined in the country’s essential...