Every Government is challenged to finance their public health care system at a level that will guarantee the provision of adequate and effective services. It is therefore important that mechanisms are developed that will reduce the burden of financing borne by the State and individual health seekers.
Since the health financing reform initiated in 2008 with the no user fee policy in public facilities the government is now seeking to introduce its most transformative reform, the National Health Insurance Plan (NHIP) to increase overall resources for the health sector; increase efficiency in the use of available resources; promote sustainable health care financing; and improve the quality and coverage of health services.
NHIP is the strategy for the country’s roll out of its Universal Health agenda. We accept that the NHIP is not the total answer for UH but it does advance our progress towards that goal. The NHIP proposal has three central components: focus on funding through pooling of funds, a membership guarantee and entitlement modality, and definition of a basket of services. The equity proposition is also clear where the poor will receive as much as the rich while the needy will receive much more than they can afford to contribute.
The key to UH coverage is the pooling of public and private resources, service provision in public and private facilities and, with a reciprocal commitment between management and membership for accountability and responsiveness.
We encourage everyone to provide the feedback on this Green Paper with the end result that a programme is implemented with an effective and comprehensive package founded on a sustainable financial platform.