EAC ministers push for universal health insurance

Ministers of Health from the East African Community (EAC) member states Wednesday unanimously agreed to support the establishment of a regional committee or body on Social Health Protection (SPH) to guide its strategy, implementation and collaboration in the region.The agreement was reached after a two-day regional summit on SHP that focused on sharing experiences and implementing reforms with the aim of extending health coverage within the Community.EAC member states agreed to establish the committee as a first step towards rolling out Universal Health Coverage (UHC).The universal health coverage, once implemented, will ensure that a patient is accorded treatment from any of the EAC state, basing on insurance acquired from his or her home country. The committee will be charged with promoting best practices aimed at universal health coverage and defining a framework for the long-term harmonisation of social health protection mechanisms.“We will build on our various approaches and make social health protection and universal health coverage a reality in our region,” Dr Agnes Binagwaho, the Minister of Health, told the meeting.Within the broader framework of national policies and programmes, the ministers agreed to develop a regular forum to share best practices focusing on effective governance and stewardship as they seek to make UHC a reality.They also pledged to support cross-regional studies to explore harmonisation of social health protection policies, including an advocacy strategy and networking among private and public sector stakeholders.“We recommend to develop short and medium term regional Health Financing Strategies for achieving universal health coverage in the EAC, specifically addressing the coordination of activities among the member states,” the statement endorsed by the ministers stated.The ministers also proposed a joint meeting between the ministries having health and commerce in their portfolios to promote synergies in the production of medicines and medical products from within the bloc.The summit was attended by ministers in charge of Health from all EAC Member States as well as members of the civil society and development partners. The recommendations of the summit were forwarded to the Secretary General of EAC for effective follow-up and implementation.

National

EAC ministers push for universal health insurance