May 29, 2018 - of the universal health coverage (UHC) goals of financial protection and ... Keywords: Sub-Saharan Africa, healthcare financing, universal ...
Challenges in Financing Universal Health Coverage in Sub-Saharan Africa
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Economics and Finance Challenges in Financing Universal Health Coverage in Sub-Saharan Africa Diane McIntyre, Amarech G. Obse, Edwine W. Barasa, and John E. Ataguba Subject: Health, Education, and Welfare Online Publication Date: May 2018 DOI: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190625979.013.28
Summary and Keywords Within the context of the Sustainable Development Goals, it is important to critically review research on healthcare financing in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) from the perspective of the universal health coverage (UHC) goals of financial protection and access to quality health services for all. There is a concerning reliance on direct out-of-pocket payments in many SSA countries, accounting for an average of 36% of current health expenditure compared to only 22% in the rest of the world. Contributions to health insurance schemes, whether voluntary or mandatory, contribute a small share of current health expenditure. While domestic mandatory prepayment mechanisms (tax and mandatory insurance) is the next largest category of healthcare financing in SSA (35%), a relatively large share of funding in SSA (14% compared to
