Leaving no one behind: the role of civil society in health financing

The pandemic reinforced the conclusion that countries must invest in resilient and universal health systems based on primary health care, and ensure health financing arrangements provide coverage to all, to achieve universal health coverage, health equity and health security.

This will need to be done by using all available resources as efficiently as possible, which necessitates moving away from financing focused on specific diseases or programmes towards sustainable, person-centered approaches that focus on PHC at the center of the health system.

Civil society has a key role to play in ensuring health financing policies, arrangements and public budgets address the needs of the most vulnerable through advocacy and accountability. Health financing advocacy should be strengthened to promote better collaboration between governments, civil society and communities.

With only seven years to close the gap to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, and only a few months to the High Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage, we must double down on our collective efforts to equitably and sustainably invest in health to improve well-being and safety of all and achieve broader socio-economic progress and prosperity.

Arush Lal, Commissioner, Chatham House Commission for Universal Health, will moderate a learning event:

• Accelerating progress on health financing despite current financing challenges

Nidda Yusuf, Save the Children

• From siloes to sustainability – advocating across disease areas for investments in PHC

Susan Sparkes, World Health Organisation

• Progressing towards Universal Health Coverage in Kaduna State

Ifedilichukwu Innocent, Save the Children Nigeria

• Influencing health financing policies – learnings from the Joint Learning Agenda

Dr. LaMont “Montee” Evans, Ghana Universal Health Coverage

Joseph Wato, Coalition for Health Financing and Universal Health Coverage in Cameroon

• From health financing reforms to the alignment of donor resources

Barbara Fienieg, Wemos