In the week since it was rolled out, Oman’s first endowment fund dedicated to public healthcare services has garnered several millions of Omani riyals in contributions from government, public and private sector organisations, and growing numbers of individuals as...
Healthcare protection policies during the COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons towards the implementation of the new Egyptian universal health insurance law
This paper investigates the effects of Egypt’s health system’s response to the COVID 19 pandemic on the recently ratified social health insurance law (2018). It also provides lessons from the management of the first phase of the pandemic, lessons that could be...
COVID-19 response in Lebanon: current experience and challenges in a low-resource setting
This journal article gives insight into Lebanon’s healthcare response to the COVID 19 pandemic with limited financial resources and an increasingly private and urban health sector. It suggests that 80% of the health care budget in Lebanon is spent on acute care in...
Presenting documents on Egypt’s health system, social health protection laws and COVID 19 response
Two papers throw light on the provisions for strategic purchasing of health services in Egypt under the universal health insurance (UIH) law and highlight the requirement for more clarity on the subject for effective implementation (Egypt plans to progressively...
Lebanon receives support for first COVID 19 vaccine rollout
Lebanon has received US$34 million under the World Bank's Lebanon Health Resilience Project to support vaccine procurement. The financing will provide vaccines for over 2 million individuals. The vaccines are expected to arrive in Lebanon by early February...
Presenting documents on Lebanon’s health system reforms, financing of social protection and COVID 19 response
New documents include a paper on health sector reforms that lays out the measures taken by Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health to increase the country’s access to health services since the end of the civil war in 1992. Another publication reviews the health budget and...
Lebanon health sector receives international support
Lebanon is recieving more than 1.7 million US dollars aimed at strengthening the health sector by enhancing its operational capacity to provide essential health services and to contribute to the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic through a UNOPS project funded...
Ethiopia launches a COVID-19 vaccination campaign targeting the 12 years and above population
On 16 November 2021, the Federal Ministry of Health (MoH) launched a COVID-19 vaccination campaign aiming to vaccinate people aged 12 years and above. The Ministry has deployed over 28,000 vaccinators and more than 6.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for the...
Malaysia budget 2022 prioritizes to support the low-income households and businesses affected by COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic negatively affects Malaysia’s economy and household income, especially lower income families. To minimize the impact of economic recession and alleviate the poverty from the pandemic, Malaysia approved budget for 2022 with priorities to support...
Implications of COVID-19 pandemic for health financing system in Ghana
In this article, the authors examined the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the health financing system in Ghana. The authors reasoned that the pandemic is likely to have adverse effects on the various sources of healthcare financing, including government support, donor...
Korea’s ‘With Corona’ return to normal starts Monday
Starting Monday, the “With Corona” scheme will allow 10 to 12 people to gather socially and most businesses to operate 'round the clock, despite daily infection rates of over 2,000 in recent days. Under the first stage of Korea's three-phase “With Corona” strategy,...
Private S.Korea firms plan $5.4 bln investment to create vaccine hub
South Korea’s private sector plans to invest 6.3 trillion won ($5.4 billion) in vaccine production and distribution by 2024, as the country seeks to become a global vaccine powerhouse, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum said on Tuesday. South Korea already has deals to...
New report from IOM: Impact of COVID-19 Movement Restrictions on Migrants along the Eastern Corridor
The COVID-19 outbreak has restricted global mobility, whilst heightening the risk of exploitation of vulnerable populations. A new report from IOM provides a snapshot of the COVID-19 epidemiological situation and mobility restrictions, and of the current migration...
Korea to shorten wait for COVID-19 boosters as breakthrough hospitalizations rise
South Korea will shorten the wait for COVID-19 booster shots as the daily count of new cases rose above 3,000 and breakthrough infections continued to send people to hospitals. Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum told a government meeting on Wednesday that the six-month wait...
WHO and the EU supplied modern X-ray equipment to hospitals in Armenia
According to news on WHO Armenia country page, with financial support from the European Union, WHO supplied X-ray equipment to seven hospitals for COVID-19 treatment in capital city Yerevan and in six other cities in Armenia. New X-ray machines will help control...