CERDI

Orientations and aims of the conference

Health financing is an essential component of the reform of the healthcare systems in developing countries. It also occupies a central position in the poverty reduction strategies (PRS), the implementation of the Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) Initiative and in the continuation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).

In parallel, the states and their partners attach increasing importance to considerations of equity in health financing and access to health care. They are also increasingly focused on the important impact financing can have on efficiency of health systems, according to various schemes combining public and private financing and production of services.

Health financing can no longer be dissociated from development policies or macroeconomic and sector reforms, especially given that scarce resources and limited absorption capacity often go hand in hand. At present, it is acknowledged by stakeholders involved in health financing that there is a strong need to assess both the increasing number of pilot projects and the financing methods and policies.

This conference aims to gather French and foreign participants from various backgrounds - universities, administrations, development aid agencies, health facilities and other service providers,…) in order to discuss and exchange views on theoretical, conceptual, methodological and applied studies on the multiple aspects of health financing in developing countries.

This second international conference on " Health financing in developing countries " falls under the conference that was held at CERDI in December 2000 on " Financing of healthcare systems in low-income African and Asian countries ".

Five years after this conference, it is useful to share analysis on evolutions observed in the field of health financing, and on assessing new issues and challenges.

• Health financing, macroeconomic issues and development strategies;
• Financing strategies, roles of stakeholders, combining instruments;
• Financing, efficiency and regulation of health systems;
• Evaluation: methods and case studies.

Papers cover various issues. For example:

• health financing and health status.
• financing methods and health care demand (preventive, curative).
• health financing, poverty reduction strategies and MDGs.
• debt relief, budget sustainability and other macro-economic issues related to health financing.
• general framework of health financing and aid instruments (Sector Wide Approach, medium-term expenditure framework,…) and coordination of stakeholders -conditionality on aid in health sector.
• financing, regulation and efficiency of health structures and systems (performance agreements, payment of health providers,…).
• health financing and institutional reforms.
• public-private partnerships in health financing.
• criteria of allocation of public resources.
• financing of the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria (methods, integration with national health financing policies,…).
• user fees.
• compulsory and voluntary insurance mechanisms.
• assessment of programs, projects and health financing methods.

Working languages are French and English

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