Over the past decade, a number of national or state-level reforms have been implemented by governments that are committed to achieving universal health coverage through “demand-side” financing models, often specifically targeting the poorest and informal sectors of their populations. While many implementing countries have not yet achieved universal health coverage, reforms are underway in countries as varied as Chile, Colombia, Estonia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Over the past decade, a number of national or state-level reforms have been implemented by governments that are committed to expanding health coverage through “demand-side” (third-party) financing models, to reach the poorest and informal sectors of their populations.  These reforms are ambitious in their goals, but challenging to implement successfully.  Many organizations and initiatives currently provide helpful policy assistance for and generate valuable information on these new and innovative reforms.

The Center for Health Market Innovations (CHMI) is a global network of partners that seeks to improve the functioning of health markets in developing countries to deliver better results for the poor. CHMI works to accelerate the diffusion of Health Market Innovations, programs and policies—implemented by governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), social entrepreneurs or private companies—that have the potential to improve the way health markets operate.

Attached File(s): 

Center for Health Market Innovations Description_2010-04-27.pdf

Health workers play a critical role in the provision of health care and represent the single largest cost element in health services in low income countries. Millions of people die prematurely, or suffer from illness or disability unnecessarily, due to insufficient number of human resources for health (HRH). This problem has recently begun to receive the greater attention it deserves.

Over the past 25 years, AIDS has imposed a huge cost, in economic and social terms, on many countries, communities, and households around the world. At the same time, the price tag to respond fully and effectively in the areas of prevention, care and treatment, mitigation, and research has grown to tens of billions of dollars, and is continuing to increase. There have been dramatic increases in funding, but available resources are now becoming increasingly tight as the global recession adversely impacts both donor and developing countries, and as other competing priorities (e.g.

Funded by the Department for International Development (DFID), UK through its Governance and Transparency Fund, the Strengthening Institutions program is a joint effort of the Global Development Network and the Results for Development Institute.  The program aims to strengthen the analytical underpinnings of the policy debates around public expenditure priorities in developing countries by providing technical and financial support to fifteen emerging think tanks worldwide to conduct analyses of spending in the health, education, and water sectors.

The Transparency and Accountability Program (TAP) strengthens the capacity of independent monitoring organizations (IMOs) in low- and middle-income countries to promote improvements in social sector public spending and better hold their governments accountable for expenditure decisions and actions. The core of TAP is a competitive small grants program that enables participating IMOs to complete original analytical and advocacy work on a specific topic in public expenditures in their country.