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...
Social protection – Developing countries should invest US$1.2 trillion to guarantee basic health
A new study by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has recommended that developing countries invest roughly US$1.2 trillion – on average 3.8 per cent of their gross domestic product (GDP), to guarantee at least basic income security and access to essential...
Thai Universal Health Coverage Scheme increased budget to expand HIV/AIDS related services
Ensuring access to comprehensive and quality health care is one of the key policy objectives in Thailand. Since 2005, HIV/AIDS related health services have been included in Universal Health Coverage Scheme (UCS)’s benefit package. Over 17 years, the benefit package...
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...
Russian Ministry of Healthcare is expanding coverage and access to medicines under Medicines-2025 strategy
Minister of Healthcare of the Russian Federation Mikhail Murashko held a meeting of the Board of the Ministry on provision of medicines. This committee regularly meets to ensure population access and coverage of medicines, including regularly expanding the list of...
Mongolian Rural Healthcare embraced UpToDate national app for clinical decision support
The State Policy on Health of Mongolia for 2017-2026 aims to mainstream universal health care and bring the quality of health care in the country to international standards. In 2021 the Ministry of Health, with support from Wolters Kluwer Health, introduced a...
Saudi Arabia to provide free COVID-19 vaccines in pharmacies
Saudi Arabia will provide coronavirus vaccines in pharmacies around the Kingdom for free as part of its efforts to expand the ongoing inoculation campaign and facilitate access to vaccine sites, he added. The doses will be given to people according to priority...
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman orders free COVID 19 treatment for all, including visa violators
Saudi Arabia's King Salman has ordered coronavirus treatment to be available, free of charge, for all citizens and expatriates in need of medical care, including people who have overstayed their visas in the Kingdom. The government urged all of those showing symptoms...
EU-funded project supported COVID-19 response in six Eastern Partnership countries, including Moldova
A 35 million euro grant from the European Union (EU) has strengthened COVID-19 response and saved lives in 6 countries in the WHO European Region. Over the course of 1.5 years, the funds have helped deliver nearly 12 million units of personal protective equipment,...
Azerbaijan started producing domestic PCR tests for COVID-19 to save costs and expand access
Production of COVID-19 PCR test kits began in Azerbaijan this week by the Diamed Co. Syringe Manufacturing Plant, a local medical factory established as a joint venture between the state and private sector in 2019. The joint venture saw the launch of an all-new...
New Qatar health financing and social health protection documents available
Two documents have been uploaded in the Qatar Country page. One is on the 2015 pricing for the national health insurance scheme at the time in Qatar, called ‘Seha’. The second one is an assessment of the country’s improving health financing and social health...
Azerbaijan handling the pandemic at the expense of its own financial resources
According to the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan carried out all activities in the fight against the pandemic through domestic financial resources. "The COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose serious challenges to the world. Our...
The Small Countries Initiative leaders discussed universal health coverage and lessons learnt from the pandemic
According to WHO/Europe, the Small Countries Initiative (SCI) took the floor during the 71st session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe (RC71) in a side event dedicated to sharing lessons learned on COVID-19. Protection from emergencies, universal health...
President proposed to reduce total individual tax burden from 34% to 25% for small businesses
President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in his annual address to the people of Kazakhstan has traditionally devoted his speach to social protection and human capital development, as well as education and health sectors. Among new ideas, he mentioned: "Total...