The International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank’s fund dedicated to supporting the world’s poorest nations, stands as a critical instrument in financing healthcare initiatives across lower-income countries. IDA’s comprehensive support framework encompasses strengthening health systems, enhancing service delivery capabilities, and collaborating with governments to bolster preparedness for pandemics and various health emergencies. Over the past decade, IDA has channeled US$13.5 billion into essential health interventions, positively impacting the lives of 770 million individuals and facilitating immunizations for 330 million children. Significantly, the proportion of IDA funding allocated to health and nutrition has seen a 60% surge in the last ten years, underscoring the escalating needs within these nations. This increased investment highlights the growing recognition of Universal Health Care Programs as fundamental to global stability and development.
Achieving Tangible Health Outcomes Through Strategic Support
Through targeted IDA initiatives, the World Bank actively assists countries like Saint Lucia in fortifying their public healthcare infrastructure. The Health System Strengthening project in Saint Lucia, for example, is strategically designed to enroll at least 100,000 residents—out of a population of 178,000—into the National Health Scheme by project completion. Furthermore, it aims to ensure that a minimum of 60% of adult patients diagnosed with diabetes and hypertension receive treatment adhering to national protocols within public primary health care facilities. Complementing these efforts, primary health care centers are being upgraded to serve as initial detection points for selected infectious diseases, enhancing the country’s capacity for early intervention and disease management.
In Yemen, amidst ongoing crisis, IDA’s Emergency Health and Nutrition Project has been instrumental in delivering life-saving assistance, reaching over 14.6 million people across the nation. Parallelly, the Emergency Cash Transfer Program ensures that vulnerable Yemenis possess the financial means to procure food and essential necessities. This program has disbursed cash transfers to approximately 9 million individuals across Yemen’s 333 districts, providing a crucial safety net during times of extreme hardship and contributing indirectly to healthcare access by alleviating financial barriers.
The multi-stakeholder Global Financing Facility (GFF), established in 2015 by the World Bank Group and its partners, plays a pivotal role in advancing maternal, child, and adolescent healthcare. Emerging results demonstrate that GFF support enhances the targeting of the most impoverished and vulnerable populations, expands access to essential health services, and stimulates increased domestic financing for critical areas such as malnutrition, maternal mortality, and adolescent girls’ health. This collaborative approach is essential for building sustainable universal health care programs.
Other impactful initiatives dedicated to women’s health and reproductive, maternal, and child healthcare are yielding promising outcomes. The Sahel Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend (SWEDD) project, for instance, has successfully trained over 6,600 midwives. It has also established 3,420 safe spaces, offering a second chance to 102,600 vulnerable out-of-school girls, and reached over 4 million people through awareness campaigns addressing reproductive, maternal, and child health, as well as violence against women. Furthermore, 100,000 girls from disadvantaged backgrounds in Niger have received school kits, scholarships, housing, and academic support, fostering long-term health and well-being through education and empowerment.
Mental health, a historically underaddressed area, is now gaining increased global attention. In Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, an innovative program provided Cognitive Behavioral Therapy training to over 100 small business entrepreneurs. This intervention significantly diminished the severity and prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms among participants, contributing to enhanced overall well-being compared to a control group. Addressing mental health is increasingly recognized as an integral component of universal health care programs.
In Afghanistan, the reach of mental health services has expanded dramatically, from approximately half a million people in 2009 to over 2.2 million in 2018, with IDA support playing a crucial role. Similarly, in Yemen, World Bank emergency health programs have integrated mental health services and trauma care throughout the country. In the Horn of Africa, the World Bank has supported counseling services for Somali women and children affected by gender-based and sexual violence, integrating these services into primary care packages for refugees in camps in Kenya and Ethiopia. These examples illustrate the broadening scope of universal health care programs to include mental health and psychosocial support.
The World Bank Group’s $6 billion COVID-19 Global Health Emergency Response Program further underscores the commitment to holistic healthcare. Through this program, numerous countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Ecuador, India, and Nigeria, have launched psychological support programs to mitigate the pandemic’s negative impact on mental well-being. Investing in mental health services is now recognized as essential for an inclusive and resilient recovery, and an important aspect of a comprehensive universal health care program.
Partnerships for Sustainable Progress in Universal Health Coverage
A significant impediment to achieving universal health coverage (UHC) globally is securing sustainable and adequate financing. To address this challenge, the World Bank Group, in collaboration with partners, convenes the Annual Health Financing Forum during its Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C. This forum serves as a platform for countries and partners to explore innovative resource mobilization strategies for health and to advance the knowledge and application of UHC financing models. By uniting the finance and health sectors and bridging policy with evidence, the Forum creates a unique global space where key stakeholders can catalyze progress towards the sustainable financing of universal health care programs worldwide.
Furthermore, the World Bank Group actively participates in the Joint Learning Network for UHC, a collaborative network of policymakers and practitioners from low- and middle-income countries. This network facilitates peer-to-peer learning, joint problem-solving, and the collective development and utilization of new knowledge, tools, and innovative approaches to accelerate progress towards UHC. This collaborative learning environment is vital for fostering effective and context-specific strategies for implementing universal health care programs.
World Bank Group research highlights Bangladesh as a compelling example of a nation that has achieved rapid improvements in health outcomes at a low cost. The research underscores the country’s success stemming from a combination of factors, including strategic public funding for highly cost-effective interventions, alignment of government and development partner financing, extensive deployment of female community health workers, innovative engagement of civil society organizations, and contributions from a dynamic private sector. Bangladesh’s experience provides valuable lessons for other nations striving to implement effective and efficient universal health care programs.
Last Updated: May 19, 2021
