Health Financing in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Universal health coverage (UHC) is a core part of the Sustainable Development Goals, aiming to ensure that everyone can access the health services they need without financial hardship.

Understanding the role and potential of health financing to achieve UHC in low and middle income countries (LMIC) is more important than ever. Many people still lack access to essential health services, and the incidence of catastrophic out-of-pocket payments has risen, particularly in LMICs. This growing burden has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, rising refugee numbers due to conflicts, the increasing frequency of extreme weather events, and cuts in aid budgets. As a result, there remain critical questions about how to sustainably, efficiently, and equitably finance UHC in the future.

This book brings together a team of authors and editors, predominantly from LMIC, to identify and analyse priority health financing issues in their respective countries and regions. It lays out key concepts, offers practical guidance, and provides empirical examples from a range of LMIC. The book covers the core health financing functions, including revenue generation, pooling, allocation, and payment mechanisms; monitoring and tracking health financing dimensions such as funding levels, equity, efficiency, and financial risk protection; and explores emerging challenges and opportunities in health financing, such as public financial management, fiscal space, governance, and political economy analysis.

This book is designed for students, researchers, and practitioners engaged in health financing, including those without a formal background in economics. It serves as a practical handbook, to equip readers with the tools to address health financing research and policy, and understand related challenges, in diverse LMIC contexts.

Ultimately this is a book for anyone wanting to learn more about how health financing systems can be strengthened to support universal access and the first hand experiences, good and bad, from LMIC.