Kuwait to offer free COVID 19 vaccines to expats
In an effort to equitably provide vaccines in the first round of COVID 19 vaccinations, the Kuwaiti government has extended the provision of free vaccines to expatriates. Although Kuwaiti citizens will be given priority once the COVID-19 vaccines arrive in Kuwait and...
Kuwait during the pandemic of COVID 19
New report outlines the government of Kuwait’s response to the health crisis caused by the COVID 19 pandemic and the course of action that it has undertaken to protect the public health of its citizens and residents. The policy report includes an early cost/benefit...
Kuwait introduces new compulsory health insurance
Kuwait’s Health Insurance Hospitals Company (Dhaman) has announced it will be introducing a new KD 130 (approximately 430 USD) compulsory health insurance for two million residents working in the private sector under Visa No. 18 (Kuwait’s work visa), in addition to...
Kuwaiti government gives health care a sustainable future
Kuwait spends an average of 454 Kuwaiti dinar KD (1507 USD) on healthcare per capita, significantly higher than the regional average (World Bank). While the Kuwaiti government continues to be the main provider of health care it also recognizes the expertise that the...
Kuwait’s Health Ministry battles shrinking budget during coronavirus pandemic
The Kuwait government cut the Ministry of Health’s budget by about 135 million Kuwaiti dinars KD (447 million USD) this year on account of the reduced fiscal space caused by COVID 19. This is a major challenge for the Ministry of Health, especially in light of the...
New documents available on Rwanda country page
Three new documents have been posted on the document section of the Rwanda page. They include two government documents which are the fourth heath sector strategic plan and the health financing strategy as well as one peer reviewed article on the financial...
New document on health financing has been posted on Nigeria country page
The 2017 health financing policy and strategy has been recently uploaded to the documents section of the Nigeria country page. The strategy provides evidence-based guidance to the federal, state and local governments as well as other actors in Nigeria’s health system...
Review of financing and monetary response measures in light of COVID-19 in Kyrgyzstan
Adequate health financing is essential to manage the burden on the health system. Policy responses on payment for health services by Kyrgyzstan during COVID-19 were reviewed by the European Observatory for Health Systems and Policies. The review of COVID-19 response...
Country-based study on evidence on financial protection in Georgia, 2021
A new review titled “Can people afford to pay for health care?” was developed by the WHO Barcelona Office for health financing and published in 2021. Authored by Ketevan Goginashvili, Mamuka Nadareishvili and Triin Habicht, this publication is part of a series...
The Gambia receives US$ 30 million grant to strengthen health care delivery in the face of COVID-19
The Gambia received a $30 million grant from the international development association (IDA) to improve the quality and utilization of essential health services amidst COVID-19. The essential health services strengthening project will provide...
Rwanda receives $109.4 million to support war on COVID-19
Rwanda received $109.4 million funding to support war against COVID-19 in April, 2020. The money was approved on thursday, April 2, 2020 and was disbursed through the rapid credit facility (RCF). The funds are meant to support Rwanda’s efforts in...
Malawi: Donors want increased domestic health financing
Following the health sector strategic plan II (HSSP II) joint annual review meeting which attracted all stakeholders in the health sector, development partners in Malawi asked government to increase its budget allocation to achieve universal healthcare coverage (UHC)....
Malawi : Stakeholders call for taxes to support health services
In June, 2021 stakeholders in the health sector engaged the parliamentary committee on health to lobby for more funding to the sector to ensure that health facilities are equipped with adequate drugs and other medical items, personnel and infrastructure. The Malawi...
Gambia: “The 2020 national health insurance bill (NHIB) seeks to fulfil right to health care services” says Minister Samateh
In the quest to ensure financial risk protection and equal access to health services and hence achieve universal health coverage, the Gambia government initiated the introduction of the national health insurance scheme (NHIS) in 2020. The minister of health Dr. Ahmad...
Ethiopia first country to pilot the latest version of the WHO’s Health Financing Progress Matrix
The Health Financing Progress Matrix (HFPM), developed by WHO’s Department of Health Systems Governance & Financing, assesses country health financing systems against a set of evidence-based benchmarks. The WHO developed and released version 2 of the HFPM in late...