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FINANCE FOR HEALTH

Health systems can fully meet the health needs of the population only when there is sufficient, reliable and effectively channeled financing. However, in many low-and lower-middle income countries, health budgets are insufficient, for instance to recruit and retain the necessary number of health workers. Health expenditure relies heavily on out-of-pocket spending, pushing too many people into poverty. Within the Health Systems Advocacy Partnership, Wemos advocates for universal health coverage.

All countries have agreed to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030, as part of the internationally adopted agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Evidence shows that public resources and a country-specific financing strategy are key to achieving universal health coverage. It is a public responsibility to ensure access to essential health services for the whole population when needed, regardless of geographic location or financial situation, prioritizing those who have least access to these services.

Wemos calls for strengthening the pool of public resources for health

Expanding the domestic fiscal space for health is crucial for sustainable results in strengthening low-income countries’ health systems – including the health workforce. Yet, this should not be left to individual countries alone. Wemos believes that the international community can and should contribute to the strengthening of countries’ health budgets. By increased and better aligned development assistance for health on the one hand, and by reducing practices and conditions that needlessly limit fiscal space for health on the other.

Finance for a sustainable health workforce

Our main messages regarding finance for health are:

  • More Development Assistance for Health (DAH) from high-income countries
  • DAH should be better coordinated and/or pooled
  • Removal of needless restrictions and conditionality in fiscal space for health.

Investing in our health workers: less talk, more action!

10/04/2019

Health workers worldwide are overburdened, burned out, and even being attacked while doing their job. Last week, during the World Health Worker Week 2019, there was a lot of attention for health workers worldwide. But actually they deserve this attention every week of the year. In their blogs, Wemos’ global health advocate Amanda Banda and [...]

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We need more fiscal space for health. How can we create it?

03/04/2019

The adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 led to increased global attention for the funding gap for health in low- and lower middle-income countries.  Our new factsheet explains how governments can improve their health sectors by increasing their fiscal space for health and investing in their health workers. Health workers in many [...]

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Our highlights of 2018

14/01/2019

The start of the new year calls for some reflection. This is why we have compiled an overview of our highlights of 2018. We are proud of the results of our work for health for all. Have a look! 2018 was a year of new collaborations, media attention, joint letters, political support and enlarging our [...]

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My week with Ann

19/12/2018

Corinne  Hinlopen 'Are you angry enough to make these maternal mortality rates drop to 70 by 2030?!' Two piercing dark eyes are looking sternly over a pair of glasses at a group of students. They belong to Dr. Ann Phoya, President of the Association of Malawian Midwives (AMAMI). She is trying to instill a sense [...]

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Wemos sends open letter to GFF endorsed by more than 50 CSOs

05/11/2018

In an open letter, endorsed by over 50 civil society organizations, Wemos calls on the Global Financing Facility (GFF) to address four priority areas to improve women's, adolescents' and children's health and lives. The letter was sent in anticipation of the replenishment event of the GFF, which takes place on November 6th in Oslo, Norway. [...]

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Special edition Global Health Café with Peter Salama

28/09/2018

On October 3rd Dr. Peter Salama, WHO Deputy Director-General for Emergency Preparedness and Response, will be visiting the Netherlands to give a presentation at a special edition of the Global Health Cafés. Wemos is co-organizer of the Global Health Cafés. Dr. Salama will give a presentation on ‘Ebola again: how Fragility and Global Health Threats [...]

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