World Bank Partners with 15 Countries to Advance Universal Health Coverage Reforms

The World Bank Group, as part of its commitment started in April 2024, is advancing efforts to provide affordable, quality health services to 1.5 billion people globally by 2030. Currently, 15 countries have introduced National Health Compacts — five-year reform frameworks focused on expanding primary care, enhancing affordability, and supporting employment growth in the health sector. These compacts represent coordinated national strategies endorsed by top government officials, targeting measurable improvements in health outcomes and economic impact through strengthened primary healthcare infrastructure and digital enablement of health workforces. The reforms align the priorities of Health and Finance Ministries, emphasizing three core areas: expanding and improving primary care services, increasing financial protection to alleviate out-of-pocket health expenses, and growing a skilled health workforce through investments in workforce development and facility modernization. Participating countries commit to actions including expanding insurance coverage, leveraging digital health tools, and fostering regional manufacturing of health products to reduce dependency on imports and promote sustainable local economies. Currently, around 45 countries are engaged in scaling proven primary care approaches, bolstered by multi-sector partnerships involving global health agencies and financial institutions. This initiative comes against a backdrop where 4.6 billion people lack access to essential health services and 2.1 billion face financial hardship from healthcare costs, highlighting the critical need for systemic reforms to create resilient and equitable health systems. Strategic partnerships bolster this effort; notably, Japan, WHO, and the World Bank launched the Universal Health Coverage Knowledge Hub to facilitate knowledge sharing and evidence-based policy exchange for countries implementing Universal Health Coverage reforms. The recent Universal Health Coverage High-Level Forum convened key stakeholders from governments, business, philanthropy, and global health organizations to drive collective progress. The list of countries adopting National Health Compacts includes Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, Indonesia, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Syria, Tajikistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan, and Zambia. This coordinated effort aims not only to improve health outcomes but to stimulate job-rich growth by integrating health sector development with broader economic objectives, reinforcing the value of primary health services as a foundation for public wellbeing and economic stability.