An aim of the Reimagining PHC Collaborative is to bring practical and innovative approaches financing primary health care. This event is the first step in the process and aims to build a collective understanding of what constitutes health financing, the various pillars of health financing, and their interconnectedness. The session will be an entry point for ongoing conversations innovating in health financing for PHC, and the different approaches and applications of reforms. At this event, we will reflect on the key findings of the Lancet Commission with lead author, Professor Kara Hanson of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Ajay Tandon, Lead Economist at the World Bank, will offer further perspective on the Commission’s implications, followed by reflections from Erno Harzheim, former Vice-Minister for PHC, Ministry of Health Brazil. Finally, the event will feature a vibrant panel discussion with our speakers and country policymakers: Dr Davis Johnraj, Senior Officer in the National Health Financing Section of the Planning Division in Ministry of Health Malaysia, Dr Peter Yeboah, Executive Director of Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) and CHAG’s Deputy Executive Director, Dr James Duah.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be devastating for health systems globally. To slow the spread of the virus and to reduce its toll, country leaders must manage strong systems-focused, multi-sectoral coordination, planning, and monitoring. To support countries, Joint Learning Network for Universal Health Coverage (JLN) and the Health Systems Strengthening Accelerator (Accelerator) facilitated a year-long learning collaborative to help country leaders learn from each other on various topics, including how to create and manage the cross-sectoral teams to mount a coordinated response to the pandemic, developing pandemic/epidemic preparedness and response strategies, and strengthening coordination across sectors and across different levels of government to ensure a prompt and effective response.

Did you know that one third of the world’s population needs rehabilitation at some point in the course of their illness or injury? Yet rehabilitation is often underprioritized in countries’ health systems and UHC strategies. In early 2022, the Health Systems Strengthening Accelerator is partnering with the JLN to launch a webinar that will bring together UHC and rehabilitation leaders to exchange country experiences with rehabilitation, including how (or whether) it is integrated in service delivery, conversations around UHC, and COVID-19 pandemic responses.