Background: Economic constraints in Africa over the past 20 years have rendered many governments unable to finance and provide affordable, quality healthcare to their populations. This delimma drew attention to the potential of existing groups and organizations to play a role in healthcare financing. MHOs and CBHI schemes are community-initiated movements that seek to fill the gap between health care needs and services currently available or accessible. Methodology: PHR synthesis reports analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the MHO and CBHI experience in Africa, document the development and adaptation of management tools to assist schemes, and provide examples of successful utilization of health financing tools to improve scheme performance and sustainability. Case studies from each subregion may be included to illustrate key findings. Results: PHR's work reveals that health financing and management tools do help community managers to improve efficiency and effectiveness of scheme operations. Moreover, MHO and CBHI managers recognize the need for tools, targeted information and assistance when setting up risk-sharing, financially sustainable systems of health insurance. Conclusions: PHR's experiences with community health insurance schemes in East and West Africa make clear the need for more training on health financing in both subregions in Africa. The presentation will outline PHR's "lessons learned" using MHO/CBHI tools with schemes in Africa and recommendations for their future use to foster new schemes and strengthen existing MHO/CBHI schemes.
Learning Objectives: To increase awareness of the strengths and weaknesses in existing community financing schemes; and To present financial and management tools developed to improve the performance and sustainability of such schemes. To compare and contrast Mutual Health Organizations (MHOs) in West Africa, and Community-Based Health Insurance (CBHI) schemes in East Africa
Keywords: Field Experience, Community Health Programs
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: PHR
REDSO/ESA
MHOs in West Africa
CBHI schemes in East Africa
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.