Accessible and affordable COVID-19 self-test kits in Thailand
To ensure affordable and accessibility of the COVID-19 testing, the National Health Security Office (NHSO) board has decided to introduce an option by which health units can purchase the self-test kits and claim the cost from the NHSO. They can request 55 baht per...
New document on payment mechanism for institutional births in Nepal is now available
Since 2005, Nepal government has implemented Maternity Incentive Scheme (MIS) to reduce out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPs) for institutional birth. This study aimed to assess MIS coverage in Nepal and OOPs among women who had institutional births. Findings showed...
New document on analysis of out-of-pocket expenditure in rural Sri Lanka is now available
Sri Lanka provides health care service free-of-charge, including maternal health care. This study aimed to examine the magnitude of and factors associated with out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPs) during the first prenatal clinic visit by pregnant women in Anuradhapura...
Delivering a comprehensive and sustainable Universal Health Insurance (UHI) in the autonomous region of Zanzibar (Tanzania)
To strengthen the healthcare system of Zanzibar, the government of Zanzibar is in the process of introducing Universal Health Insurance (UHI) that over time can cover the entire population, as the main social health protection and financing scheme in the country. The...
Follow-up to the 5th WHO Montreux Collaborative meeting
Following up to the 5th WHO Montreux Collaborative meeting, a meeting report which provides an overview of the agenda, speakers, and detailed summaries of the technical sessions including the Q&A discussions was recently published. The draft meeting...
Kazakhstan is centralizing procurement of medical equipment to save costs
According to the press service of the Prime Minister, Kazakhstan is preparing the Program for medical equipment, where funding sources will be defined for each equipment type and public health care providers who are supposed to get the equipment with...
To contain costs, Kazakhstan’s Government is capping expenses for hospital construction
Under the State Health Development Program for years 2020-2025, adopted in 2019 and reframed into a National Project "Healthy Nation" in 2021, Kazakhstan has planned to build 20 large hospitals to replace multiple existing worn-out hospitals accross the country....
The Philippines 2022 national budget secured free COVID-19 testing
The Philippines has allocated P17.85 billion under the 2022 national budget for Covid-19 testing, aiming to ensure affordability and accessibility to the tests among its population. The funds will be allocated to the state laboratories so that more free tests...
Multiple fertility treatment methods to be covered by public insurance in Japan from April
Japan's public health insurance will include multiple fertility treatment methods under the health benefit package, starting from April 2022, aiming to reduce financial burden for those who try to achieve successful pregnancies. The treatments to be covered include...
Viet Nam’s COVID-19 fight costs over US$$3.2 billion
https://en.baochinhphu.vn/vgp-news-viet-nams-covid-19-fight-costs-over-us32-billion-111220107094251985.htm
Thai cabinet approved 209 billion for the UCS budget in the fiscal year 2023
The Thai cabinet has approved 209 billion baht for the Universal Coverage Scheme in the fiscal year 2023, which increases by 4.12% from the previous year. The newly added services are mainly related to COVID-19, such as expenses for RT-PCR tests, antigen test...
New document on out-of-pocket payments in Bangladesh is now available
This study aimed to examine the burden of out-of-pocket payment and forgone healthcare in Bangladesh, and further explores the inequalities in catastrophic health expenditures (CHE) and forgone healthcare at the national and sub-national levels. Data came from the...
New document on Thailand’s universal health coverage is now available
Despite its low gross national income per capita in Thailand, a bold decision was made to use general taxation to finance the Universal Health Coverage Scheme without relying on contributions from members. Thailand’s health development since the 1970s, focusing on...
President Koroma launches social health insurance scheme
The president of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma launched the Sierra Leone Social Health Insurance Scheme(SLeSHI) on Friday, 16 February. The scheme is meant to provide Universal Healthcare Coverage for all and sundry across the country. While...
COVID-19: African Union (AU) seals deal with Moderna for 110 million vaccines
In October, 2021 Moderna announced a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to make up to 110 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine available to the AU. The company in a statement said it was preparing to deliver the first 15 million doses in the fourth quarter...