In Australia, healthcare expenditure for Fiscal Year 2019-20 follows an upwards trajectory. As reported in Health Expenditure Australia 2019–20, government health spending increased by 5.6% due to COVID-19 pandemic surveillance programs, while non-governmental health...
Malawi contributes domestic resources to COVID-19 vaccine roll out
The government of Malawi, in a public statement, said that it contributes to the procurement and dissemination of COVID-19 vaccines in the country. During the routine weekly briefing, the Director of Communications, Sean Kampondeni said that even though...
Nepal reallocated health budget to response COVID-19
Nepal reported spending nearly half of the health budget to combat Covid-19 and address its impact on people’s livelihoods and the economy. To cover the costs, the government was forced to cut budget for various large hospitals in the country. Public health experts...
Rwanda gets more support for its vaccine manufacturing plant, manages to raise US$3.5 Million
As the African continent battles with the coronavirus pandemic, Rwandan president Paul Kagame is planning to establish the first mRNA vaccine plant in Africa. The government of Rwanda has so far gotten support from several development partners including...
COVID related services are increasing in high risk areas in Bhutan
In Bhutan, provision of COVID related services, such as screening, quarantine, and treatment, has been prioritized and increased in high risk areas. The National Five-Year Plan is supporting and addressing some challenges such as a shortage of specialists. To read...
Compulsory vaccination for all citizens of Sri Lanka next year
Sri Lanka will legislate mandatory COVID vaccination to all citizens from next year. To read more, please click. Source: economynext Picture by Niphon subsri
Unvaccinated people must pay for COVID treatment in Singapore
In Singapore, the government has stopped free COVID-19 treatment for unvaccinated people, while continuing free care and treatment for the vaccinated. It is expected to increase vaccine coverage as well as reduce public finance concerns on rising medical expenditures....
UNICEF creates fund to support low- and middle-income countries’ access to COVID-19 health supplies
UNICEF invites contributions to support its ACT-A Supplies Financing Facility (“ACT-A SFF”), a newly launched pooled fund that will enable us to mount the largest health and logistics operation ever seen. ACT-A (Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator) is a global...
Brunei started administering the second dose to adolescents
Vaccination is an important public health measure against COVID-19 pandemic. It is necessary to allocate budget and resources to support vaccine administration to all age groups, including adolescents. To read more, please click here. Source: Borneo...
Launch of the global monitoring reports “Tracking Universal Coverage – 2021 Global Monitoring Report” and “Global Monitoring Report on Financial Protection in Health 2021”
The event presents key findings from the upcoming Global Monitoring Reports on UHC and Financial Protection 2021, which include new estimates of global and regional pre-pandemic trends in essential health service coverage and financial hardship, a conceptual framework...
Kazakhstan’s experience in COVID-19 management was presented to European ministers of health
Vice Minister of Healthcare and Chief State Sanitary Doctor of Kazakhstan Yerlan Kiyasov shared Kazakhstan's experience in an online meeting on "The situation with COVID-19 in the European Region: analysis of lessons learned and further actions", organized by the WHO...
Vaccination against COVID with a booster dose is rolled out in Uzbekistan
Voluntary vaccination with a booster dose (revaccination with a single-component) against coronavirus is being rolled out in Uzbekistan. "In accordance with the instructions of the Chief State Sanitary Doctor of the Republic of Uzbekistan, in order to boost the...
Europe’s expertise in COVID-19 contact tracing well utilized in Kyrgyzstan
WHO/Europe has been collecting and sharing best practices in contact tracing from countries of the WHO European Region and documenting a variety of approaches to develop case studies and to contribute to future guidelines and recommendations. Dr Richard Pebody,...
More than 100 000 Estonians received a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose
Over 100 thousand Estonian citizens received at least one booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine. This was stated in the press service of the Ministry of Social Affairs of the country. "In Estonia, at least one booster dose of the vaccine against COVID-19 was...
WHO-facilitated access to European reference labs was vital in confirming COVID-19 cases
According to WHO/Europe news, throughout the pandemic, WHO reference laboratories have played a vital role in the confirmation of COVID-19 cases. They are mainly used when countries do not have the capacity to do all the testing they need themselves and when...