Senior health officials in region commit to action on UHC Day
Universal Health Coverage Day is marked every year on December 12 to raise awareness about the global commitment to establish UHC by 2030 so that everyone, everywhere, can enjoy quality health services without financial hardship. This year’s UHC theme “Build the world we want: A healthy future for all” underlines that commitment. The Advance UHC Multi-Donor Trust Fund has been supporting East Asia and Pacific countries to invest in health and move towards full universal health coverage; a goal shared across the region.
Indonesia
“The Ministry of Health of Indonesia is making strong moves towards Universal Health Coverage through its Healthcare Transformation Agenda, which focuses on primary care in particular and also includes referral care, health financing, digital transformation, health talent and health security as its pillars, synergistically combined with our national health insurance program, Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional. We appreciate the technical and financial support from the World Bank and our other partners in our efforts towards UHC.”
• Kunta Nugraha Wibisana, Secretary General, Ministry of Health of Indonesia
The Advance Universal Health Coverage Multi-Donor Trust Fund (Advance UHC) was initiated by the Australian government’s Aid Program in 2015 to support 13 countries across Southeast Asia and the Pacific equitably expand UHC. Advance UHC has since attracted additional finance from partners including Gavi, the Global Fund, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation who have recognized it as a valued contribution to national health policy debate and an example of enhanced coordination between partners.
Advance UHC promotes equitable expansion of health care by assisting lower-middle income countries to continue to improve the use of precious financial, human and other resources for more effective and sustainable essential health services and systems. Advance UHC recognises the significance of gender inequality and actively seeks to address gender equity issues on the path toward UHC.
We hope that our readers will find the Advance UHC Newsletter to be a valuable and interesting source of information on ongoing fund activities. Subscribe and unsubscribe links are provided at the end of this newsletter. For other materials, publications, and reports, please visit our website through the link above — Advance UHC communication team.
HAPPENINGS
Gender Equity Innovation Fund targets improved health equity in the Lao PDR
A gender equity and innovation fund in the Lao PDR is encouraging local initiatives that can address the gender and equity issues contributing to poor health in rural villages.
In the northern provinces of Phongsaly and Oudomxay, the fund has been enabling district health office and health center staff and village facilitators to teach people to help themselves when it comes to looking after their health. Techniques include holding reproductive health sessions with adolescents in the community, communicating public messages via village loudspeaker systems, mobilizing secondary teachers, women, youth and village groups, and increasing the frequency of maternal and child health outreach services. Read More
Forum on Financing Primary Health Care in Asia & the Pacific Held in Bangkok
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed weaknesses in many health systems and highlighted the need for effective primary health care. The Asia and the Pacific Health Financing Forum, held in Bangkok on September 15-16, 2022, focused on how to adequately fund primary health care while managing budgets constrained by the economic wreck of COVID-19. Read More
ADVANCE UHC IN FOCUS
Podcast on the state of UHC in Southeast Asia and the Pacific post-pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the progress countries across East Asia and the Pacific have made to advance UHC. A recent episode of the Contain This podcast, produced by Australia’s Indo-Pacific Centre for Health Security, talked to World Bank experts about the commitments, challenges and progress to UHC in the region. Read More
Combined Implementation Support Missions for Five Projects in Cambodia
The harp, drums, and cymbals of a Cambodian Pinpeat ensemble provide an excellent example of synergy; where the sum of activity becomes more effective than the individual parts. Similarly, between October 4-21, 2022, a joint implementation support mission was conducted for five projects supporting Cambodia’s health sector. The mission was conducted with strong participation from the Cambodian government, World Bank, and partners co-financing the program, including the Australian government, Global Financing Facility, KfW Development Bank, and Korea International Cooperation Agency. Read More
IMPACT ON THE GROUND
What the price of vegetables can teach us about healthier eating habits in Samoa
Changing habits can be hard, but it becomes easier when the motivation is a healthy family. In Samoa, the government, with support from the World Bank, is using taxation to encourage healthier lifestyle choices for its people. For example, excise taxes have been added to products like cigarettes, sugary drinks, salty snacks, and selected fatty meats. The government has also been considering reductions in import duties on healthy options like vegetables, fresh chicken, and bottled water to make them more widely affordable. Read More
BRIEF NEWS
Advisory Services and Analytics to support UHC in the Pacific
The World Bank’s new Pacific Health Nutrition and Population Program of Advisory Services and Analytics (PASA) began supporting Pacific Island Countries in December 2022 to enhance the quality and coverage of their health services and strengthen the resilience of their health systems. Providing health services in the Pacific, particularly on the outer islands, can be costly, and an important aspect of the PASA will be to provide reliable information, analysis, and technical advice that can inform more efficient and effective health spending. It will also support activities that help countries expand their primary health care services, address non-communicable diseases, empower women and girls, and boost the overall quality of care offered. Finally, the PASA is designed to assist countries' health system readiness for future health emergencies like another pandemic or the negative effects of climate change. This includes an initiative to further explore the potential of digital technology to drive innovations that improve health system performance and the lives of Pacific people.
COUNTRY ACTIVITIES
September 2022: Timor-Leste held a high-level forum on Consolidating Investments to Address Stunting for Children Under 5 years in Timor-Leste — Learning from International Experience to see how other countries have successfully tackled stunting which afflicts 47% of young Timorese children. Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Fidelis Manuel Leite Magalhães, representing Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak, opened the function on September 8, 2022 in Dili. The World Bank and the Timor-Leste SUN Secretariat co-hosted the forum that brought government ministers and development partners to discuss the importance of investing in nutrition in the early years, key constraints going forward, and successful international approaches to mitigate and reduce stunting. The Japan Trust Fund for Scaling Up Nutrition also supported the event. The government aims to reduce stunting, which threatens the country’s human capital development, and achieve the SDG2 goal of zero hunger by 2030.
September 2022: Universal health coverage was central to the agenda of the 13th Pacific Heads of Health virtual meeting on September 20-21. Senior health officials reviewed progress towards UHC through the Healthy Islands Monitoring Framework. One significant issue raised was the need for more timely high quality, accessible data and analysis that can help countries make informed decisions about their health services. This is something the World Bank’s new Pacific Health Nutrition and Population Programmatic Advisory Services and Analytics will help to address beginning in 2023. Pacific heads of health also discussed issues relating to non-communicable diseases, sexual and reproductive health, and health security.
Blog » Advance UHC Newsletter December 2022/ Vol. 5, No. 2
Advance UHC Newsletter December 2022/ Vol. 5, No. 2
Senior health officials in region commit to action on UHC Day
Universal Health Coverage Day is marked every year on December 12 to raise awareness about the global commitment to establish UHC by 2030 so that everyone, everywhere, can enjoy quality health services without financial hardship. This year’s UHC theme “Build the world we want: A healthy future for all” underlines that commitment. The Advance UHC Multi-Donor Trust Fund has been supporting East Asia and Pacific countries to invest in health and move towards full universal health coverage; a goal shared across the region.
Indonesia
“The Ministry of Health of Indonesia is making strong moves towards Universal Health Coverage through its Healthcare Transformation Agenda, which focuses on primary care in particular and also includes referral care, health financing, digital transformation, health talent and health security as its pillars, synergistically combined with our national health insurance program, Jaminan Kesehatan Nasional. We appreciate the technical and financial support from the World Bank and our other partners in our efforts towards UHC.”
• Kunta Nugraha Wibisana, Secretary General, Ministry of Health of Indonesia
Read More
Advance UHC website
Welcome to the Advance UHC Newsletter
The Advance Universal Health Coverage Multi-Donor Trust Fund (Advance UHC) was initiated by the Australian government’s Aid Program in 2015 to support 13 countries across Southeast Asia and the Pacific equitably expand UHC. Advance UHC has since attracted additional finance from partners including Gavi, the Global Fund, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation who have recognized it as a valued contribution to national health policy debate and an example of enhanced coordination between partners.
Advance UHC promotes equitable expansion of health care by assisting lower-middle income countries to continue to improve the use of precious financial, human and other resources for more effective and sustainable essential health services and systems. Advance UHC recognises the significance of gender inequality and actively seeks to address gender equity issues on the path toward UHC.
We hope that our readers will find the Advance UHC Newsletter to be a valuable and interesting source of information on ongoing fund activities. Subscribe and unsubscribe links are provided at the end of this newsletter. For other materials, publications, and reports, please visit our website through the link above — Advance UHC communication team.
HAPPENINGS
Gender Equity Innovation Fund targets improved health equity in the Lao PDR
A gender equity and innovation fund in the Lao PDR is encouraging local initiatives that can address the gender and equity issues contributing to poor health in rural villages.
In the northern provinces of Phongsaly and Oudomxay, the fund has been enabling district health office and health center staff and village facilitators to teach people to help themselves when it comes to looking after their health. Techniques include holding reproductive health sessions with adolescents in the community, communicating public messages via village loudspeaker systems, mobilizing secondary teachers, women, youth and village groups, and increasing the frequency of maternal and child health outreach services.
Read More
Forum on Financing Primary Health Care in Asia & the Pacific Held in Bangkok
The COVID-19 pandemic revealed weaknesses in many health systems and highlighted the need for effective primary health care. The Asia and the Pacific Health Financing Forum, held in Bangkok on September 15-16, 2022, focused on how to adequately fund primary health care while managing budgets constrained by the economic wreck of COVID-19.
Read More
ADVANCE UHC IN FOCUS
Podcast on the state of UHC in Southeast Asia and the Pacific post-pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the progress countries across East Asia and the Pacific have made to advance UHC. A recent episode of the Contain This podcast, produced by Australia’s Indo-Pacific Centre for Health Security, talked to World Bank experts about the commitments, challenges and progress to UHC in the region.
Read More
Combined Implementation Support Missions for Five Projects in Cambodia
The harp, drums, and cymbals of a Cambodian Pinpeat ensemble provide an excellent example of synergy; where the sum of activity becomes more effective than the individual parts. Similarly, between October 4-21, 2022, a joint implementation support mission was conducted for five projects supporting Cambodia’s health sector. The mission was conducted with strong participation from the Cambodian government, World Bank, and partners co-financing the program, including the Australian government, Global Financing Facility, KfW Development Bank, and Korea International Cooperation Agency.
Read More
IMPACT ON THE GROUND
What the price of vegetables can teach us about healthier eating habits in Samoa
Changing habits can be hard, but it becomes easier when the motivation is a healthy family. In Samoa, the government, with support from the World Bank, is using taxation to encourage healthier lifestyle choices for its people. For example, excise taxes have been added to products like cigarettes, sugary drinks, salty snacks, and selected fatty meats. The government has also been considering reductions in import duties on healthy options like vegetables, fresh chicken, and bottled water to make them more widely affordable.
Read More
BRIEF NEWS
Advisory Services and Analytics to support UHC in the Pacific
The World Bank’s new Pacific Health Nutrition and Population Program of Advisory Services and Analytics (PASA) began supporting Pacific Island Countries in December 2022 to enhance the quality and coverage of their health services and strengthen the resilience of their health systems. Providing health services in the Pacific, particularly on the outer islands, can be costly, and an important aspect of the PASA will be to provide reliable information, analysis, and technical advice that can inform more efficient and effective health spending. It will also support activities that help countries expand their primary health care services, address non-communicable diseases, empower women and girls, and boost the overall quality of care offered. Finally, the PASA is designed to assist countries' health system readiness for future health emergencies like another pandemic or the negative effects of climate change. This includes an initiative to further explore the potential of digital technology to drive innovations that improve health system performance and the lives of Pacific people.
COUNTRY ACTIVITIES
September 2022: Timor-Leste held a high-level forum on Consolidating Investments to Address Stunting for Children Under 5 years in Timor-Leste — Learning from International Experience to see how other countries have successfully tackled stunting which afflicts 47% of young Timorese children. Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Fidelis Manuel Leite Magalhães, representing Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak, opened the function on September 8, 2022 in Dili. The World Bank and the Timor-Leste SUN Secretariat co-hosted the forum that brought government ministers and development partners to discuss the importance of investing in nutrition in the early years, key constraints going forward, and successful international approaches to mitigate and reduce stunting. The Japan Trust Fund for Scaling Up Nutrition also supported the event. The government aims to reduce stunting, which threatens the country’s human capital development, and achieve the SDG2 goal of zero hunger by 2030.
September 2022: Universal health coverage was central to the agenda of the 13th Pacific Heads of Health virtual meeting on September 20-21. Senior health officials reviewed progress towards UHC through the Healthy Islands Monitoring Framework. One significant issue raised was the need for more timely high quality, accessible data and analysis that can help countries make informed decisions about their health services. This is something the World Bank’s new Pacific Health Nutrition and Population Programmatic Advisory Services and Analytics will help to address beginning in 2023. Pacific heads of health also discussed issues relating to non-communicable diseases, sexual and reproductive health, and health security.
Contacts: Somil Nagpal, snagpal@worldbank.org; Chadin Tephaval, ctephaval@worldbank.org; Jordie Kilby, jkilby@worldbankgroup.org