A4PHC organised event focused on Caribbean Health Financing

Caribbean: The Alliance for Primary Health Care, A4PHC, recently organised an interactive event for two days, which was focused on the betterment of health financing conditions in the Caribbean. The event was jointly hosted by the officials of the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, IDB, and the Pan-American Health Organisation, PAHO, at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington, DC.

The event was organised under the title of the Caribbean Health Financing Forum, which was joined by several experts in the sector. The Alliance for Primary Health Care is a collaborative effort by the World Bank, IDB, and PAHO for better innovation, investment, and initiatives in the field of health care systems in the region.

The Caribbean Health Financing Forum was attended by representatives from around the Caribbean to talk about the issues related to the health system in the region. Ministers from the Caribbean nations, including Grenada, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Belize, Dominica, Bahamas, Barbados, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, made their presence at the grand event.

Doctor Rhonda Sealey Thomas, Assistant Director of PAHO, addressed the gathering by highlighting the points on comprehensive health financing strategies. She focused on the issues faced by the officials and the citizens in the region under several circumstances. The intention of the event was to figure out the possible steps that could be taken to ensure sustainable health financing in the Caribbean.

The gathering of the experts and officials covered a range of points related to relevant topics. There was a discussion on the major issues, including reforms in health financing and financial protection for Universal Health Coverage. There was also discussion of topics of health insurance, allocating resources, and other strategies for the betterment of the sector.

It was highlighted in the event that in the Caribbean region, the total spending of the governments for public health care is only 3.6 of GDP. However, the expenses out-of-pocket are nearly 31 percent of current health spending, which is on the high side. This is part where officials are trying to focus on and are looking for betterment with frequent efforts through policies.

The outcome of the grand gathering of experts and officials from around the region in the Caribbean Health Financing Forum came out as the necessity of serious steps taken towards the highlighted issues. The expert pointed out the urgent need for capacity building in health financing and data generation. The advancement of the health sector is also a major point which could be improved through better policies.