Over 200 stakeholders from the East African Community partner states, the European Union and other countries convene in Kigali from September 11 to 13 for a conference on health protection.The stakeholders include officials from the ministries of health, finance, labour, planning, local government, medical insurance representatives, healthcare providers, East African Community secretariat officials, civil society, scholars, and officials from various development partners, according to a statement from the Ministry of Health, . Social health protection involves the designing of a healthcare system that promotes equity, affordability and quality healthcare, thereby enhancing overall productivity. The conference draws attention to best practices in strengthening of health systems and universal and health coverage in order to harmonise social health protection mechanisms across the EAC region. It is also expected to contribute to the ongoing evidence-based approach of the EAC to meet social health protection needs of its population, as the region strives towards universal coverage and access to health services.A health financing policy analyst with Rwanda’s Ministry of Health, Anne Stake, said Rwanda is one of the countries with best practices in strengthening of its health system."Rwanda’s Mutuelle du Sante and other health insurance schemes are some of the best practices that the whole region can learn from. Peformance based financing is another of those healthcare systems that have been successful. We want some of these health systems to be harmonised within the region,” she said.Stake added that the conference would be a great platform to harmonise some of these systems and establish superior healthcare standards across the region.The conference will also provide a platform to share experiences on best practices and exchange ideas on challenges in the implementation of social health protection mechanisms among participating countries. According to the statement, about 11 percent of the population in some countries suffer from disastrous medical conditions each year with up to five percent forced into poverty, "Further efforts are required to ensure that individuals can benefit from the highest attainable standard of health and that good health can act as a driving force for economic and social development, despite progress achieved toward the health Millennium Development Goals,” reads the statement in part. "The conference is a call to action. It is about sharing best practices that can be taken back to each participating country, organisation and understanding or aligning the goals for our health ministries and development partners.”An agenda will later be developed for harmonisation of social health protection mechanisms across the EAC and ensure that policies are developed to improve social health protection to reach the people who need it most.