In the last three decades, health financialization has surged in
several creative ways, yet this growing phenomenon remains surprisingly
unknown, and neglected, in the global health arena. Financialization in the
health domain could be described as the uncontrolled expansion of finance along vari...ous lines of healthcare provision. Health has been intentionally transformed into a commodity as private for-profit actors have been allowed freedom to operate - and ultimately play with people’s fundamental right to health - for their vested financial interests, nationally and internationally. Health financialization is thrivingly pursued today for example through the institutionalization of medical knowledge monopolies, the expansion of markets and of financial techniques applied to healthcare insurance schemes, the soaring digitalization of global health interventions and the booming data industry.
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Rising levels of inflation, debt and macrofiscal tightening are putting expenditures on the social sectors including health under immense scrutiny. Already, there are worrying signs of reductions in social sector investments. However, even before the pandemic, evidence showed the significant returns... on investments in health equity and its social determinants. Emerging data and trends show that these potential returns have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic - investments in social determinants can mitigate widespread reductions in human capital and the increasing likelihood of costly syndemics, while promoting access to healthcare innovations that have thus far been inequitably distributed. Therefore, we argue that, despite immediate fiscal pressures, this is exactly the time to invest in health equity and its broader social determinants, as the returns on such investments have never been greater.
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The “Declaration for Accelerated Malaria Mortality Reduction in Africa” is a statement signed by African health ministers reaffirming their commitment to reducing malaria-related mortality. It pledges strengthened leadership, increased domestic financing for malaria control programs, and the imp...lementation of current technical guidelines. The ministers emphasize the need to invest in data technologies, enhance cross-sector collaboration, and build partnerships for financing, research, and innovation in order to intensify malaria control efforts at both national and subnational levels.
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Nigeria’s healthcare system faces significant challenges in financing and quality, impacting the delivery of services to its growing population. This study investigates healthcare workers’ perceptions of these challenges and their implications for healthcare policy and practice. A cross-sectiona...l survey was conducted with 600 healthcare professionals from eight states across Nigeria, representing a variety of healthcare occupations. Participants completed a questionnaire that assessed their perceptions of healthcare financing, quality of care, job satisfaction, and motivation using a 5-point Likert scale, closed- and open-ended questions. Descriptive statistics, Chi-squared test, and regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that healthcare workers were generally not satisfied with the current state of healthcare financing and system quality in Nigeria. Poor funding, inadequate infrastructure, insufficient staffing, and limited access to essential resources were identified as major challenges.
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This comprehensive HPFM report thoroughly explores Kenya’s health financing landscape. It provides an in-depth analysis of the current state of affairs and sheds light on required strategic changes in health financing. The report points out the need to improve public financial management within th...e health sector, for more efficient financial systems. It focuses on better resourceraising and utilization mechanisms. The matrix highlights the need for consolidation of fragmented health financing arrangements, for a more efficient health system. It also emphasizes the need for enhancing strategic purchasing of health services, to improve the overall efficiency and quality of care. Additionally, the report stresses the critical
role of leveraging data and information systems for more evidence-based informed decision-making. These recommendations are crucial for advancing Kenya’s health financing system and moving closer to the UHC goal.
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The National Strategic Plan for Malaria Elimination in India (2023-2027) focuses on achieving malaria elimination by 2030, in alignment with the Global Technical Strategy. The document outlines the strategies, targets, and goals for malaria elimination, aiming for zero indigenous malaria cases by 20...27. It emphasizes district-based planning, robust surveillance systems, and enhancing case management and vector control. The plan stresses the importance of universal access to treatment, prevention, and data-driven decision-making. Furthermore, it encourages innovation and research in malaria elimination efforts, fostering multisectoral coordination and community engagement.
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The place where you live, the communities you belong to, your education level, ethnicity, race, income and gender, and
whether you have a disability, all make a huge difference to how long you can expect to live a healthy life. People in the
country with the highest life expectancy will, on av...erage, live for 33 years more than those born in the country with the lowest
life expectancy. There are major differences in life expectancy between countries at very similar income levels: data shows that regardless of income level, some countries have managed to halve premature death over the past half-century, while in
others, it has remained the same or even increased. Within countries, life expectancy varies by decades, depending on which area you live in and the social group to which you belong
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Malaria in pregnancy is a significant health problem in malaria-endemic areas. It not only causes substantial childhood morbidity and mortality but also increases the risks of adverse events for pregnant women and their developing fetuses. Most of the burden in these areas is due to infection with P...lasmodium falciparum. Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) has been recommended as first-line treatment for uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria in all populations, including pregnant women in their second and third trimesters, since 2006. However, for women in their first trimester of pregnancy, WHO recommended as first-line treatment a combination of quinine and clindamycin.
Based on a review of the evidence conducted in 2022, WHO now recommends artemether–lumefantrine, the ACT with the most human safety data available, as the preferred treatment for uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria in the first trimester of pregnancy. This document presents all relevant evidence on the effects and safety in early pregnancy of artemisinins and partner medicines used in ACTs from both studies in experimental animals and observational studies in humans.
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A general consensus exists that as a country develops economically, health spending per capita rises and the share of that spending that is prepaid through government or private mechanisms also rises. However, the speed and magnitude of these changes vary substantially across countries, even at simi...lar levels of development. In this study, we use past trends and relationships to estimate future health spending, disaggregated by the source of those funds, to identify the financing trajectories that are likely to occur if current policies and trajectories evolve as expected.
Methods
We extracted data from WHO's Health Spending Observatory and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation's Financing Global Health 2015 report. We converted these data to a common purchasing power-adjusted and inflation-adjusted currency. We used a series of ensemble models and observed empirical norms to estimate future government out-of-pocket private prepaid health spending and development assistance for health. We aggregated each country's estimates to generate total health spending from 2013 to 2040 for 184 countries. We compared these estimates with each other and internationally recognised benchmarks.
Findings
Global spending on health is expected to increase from US$7·83 trillion in 2013 to $18·28 (uncertainty interval 14·42–22·24) trillion in 2040 (in 2010 purchasing power parity-adjusted dollars). We expect per-capita health spending to increase annually by 2·7% (1·9–3·4) in high-income countries, 3·4% (2·4–4·2) in upper-middle-income countries, 3·0% (2·3–3·6) in lower-middle-income countries, and 2·4% (1·6–3·1) in low-income countries. Given the gaps in current health spending, these rates provide no evidence of increasing parity in health spending. In 1995 and 2015, low-income countries spent $0·03 for every dollar spent in high-income countries, even after adjusting for purchasing power, and the same is projected for 2040. Most importantly, health spending in many low-income countries is expected to remain low. Estimates suggest that, by 2040, only one (3%) of 34 low-income countries and 36 (37%) of 98 middle-income countries will reach the Chatham House goal of 5% of gross domestic product consisting of government health spending.
Interpretation
Despite remarkable health gains, past health financing trends and relationships suggest that many low-income and lower-middle-income countries will not meet internationally set health spending targets and that spending gaps between low-income and high-income countries are unlikely to narrow unless substantive policy interventions occur. Although gains in health system efficiency can be used to make progress, current trends suggest that meaningful increases in health system resources will require concerted action.
Funding
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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EXPERT OPINION ON DRUG SAFETY 2018, VOL. 17, NO. 11, 1129–1144.
Malaria during and after pregnancy contributes significantly to maternal mortality and adverse fetal outcomes. While effective and safe antimalarial treatments are essential, quinine — an older, less effective drug — has long bee...n favoured due to the limited safety data available on newer drugs. This review summarises the results of human studies investigating the safety and efficacy of antimalarial drugs during pregnancy and lactation.
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The WHO Mekong Malaria Elimination (MME) programme hosted a 3-day meeting on 15–17 November 2023 in Siem Riep, Cambodia for representatives from national malaria programmes, research institutions, partners, donors, WHO and UN agencies. The meeting provided a forum to discuss surveillance systems, ...the future priorities for the WHO Malaria Elimination Database and areas of improvement for data sharing, the efficacy of antimalarial drugs, progress made in malaria elimination, and challenges raised by P. vivax elimination.
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Malar J 23, 333 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12936-024-05165-w.
Prioritization of spending on prevention, anti-malarial medicines, and health systems strengthening can fight incident cases and fatalities simultaneously, especially in resource-scarce, malaria-endemic countries. Furthermore, imp...roving the availability, frequency of collection, and quality of detailed disaggregated spending data is essential to support work that strengthens the evidence base on spending efficiency and work that improves understanding of how spending on malaria could be leveraged to bridge gaps in equity across population groups.
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The Severe Malaria Observatory (SMO) is a global knowledge platform designed to enable professionals working on severe malaria, such as researchers, clinicians, public health experts, programme managers, policymakers and technical partners, to access, share and analyse reliable data on malaria compl...ications.
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The ACT Consortium was an international research collaboration dedicated to evaluating the effectiveness, safety and implementation of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) for treating malaria. Operating across multiple countries in Africa and Asia, the consortium conducted over 25 studies... focused on improving malaria case management, drug delivery, diagnostic practices and patient outcomes. Emphasising interdisciplinary research, the consortium generated robust evidence to inform national malaria control policies and global health strategies. This website serves as a comprehensive archive of the consortium's work, providing researchers, policymakers, and programme implementers in global health and infectious disease control with access to protocols, guidance documents, data tools, and peer-reviewed publications.
Accessed on 15/0//2025.
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The African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) is a coalition of African heads of state and government who are committed to accelerating the elimination of malaria and improving health outcomes across the continent. Through its scorecard tools, advocacy campaigns, and partnerships with regional and glo...bal health organisations, ALMA provides a platform for political leadership, accountability, and data-driven decision-making.
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The Rwanda Malaria Strategic Plan 2020–2024 outlines Rwanda’s national strategy to reduce malaria morbidity and mortality by at least 50% compared to 2019 levels. The vision is a malaria-free Rwanda contributing to socioeconomic development.
The plan includes strengthening prevention through lo...ng-lasting insecticide-treated nets, indoor residual spraying, and larval source management; ensuring universal access to testing and treatment; improving surveillance and data use; and enhancing program management, coordination, and financing. It also emphasizes community engagement and behavior change to ensure at least 85% of the at-risk population adopts protective practices.
The strategy builds on past lessons, involves multi-sectoral collaboration, and aligns with global malaria goals. It highlights equity, quality services, and evidence-based interventions as guiding principles, aiming to mobilize national and international resources for sustained impact.
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This toolkit is a comprehensive set of practical tools and resources designed to support country-level risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) practitioners, decision-makers and partners to plan and implement readiness and response activities for Ebola disease outbreaks. The toolkit conta...ins: information about Ebola disease; RCCE considerations on how to approach key issues during Ebola disease outbreaks; tools for understanding the context in which Ebola disease outbreaks occur; methods for collecting data to inform strategy development and bring evidence into the planning and implementation of activities; guidance to support prevention and response interventions; and links to existing RCCE tools and training. It is one of a suite of toolkits on RCCE readiness and response to a range of disease and response areas.
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This toolkit is a comprehensive set of practical tools and resources designed to support country-level risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) practitioners, decision-makers, and partners to plan and implement readiness and response activities for yellow fever outbreaks. The toolkit conta...ins: information about yellow fever; RCCE considerations for how to approach key issues during yellow fever outbreaks; tools for understanding the context in which yellow fever outbreaks occur; methods for collecting data to inform strategy development and bring evidence into planning and implementation of activities; guidance to support vector control and immunization campaigns; and links to existing RCCE tools and training. It is one of a suite of toolkits on RCCE readiness and response to a range of disease and response areas.
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This toolkit is a comprehensive set of practical tools and resources designed to support country-level risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) practitioners, decision-makers, and partners to plan and implement readiness and response activities for yellow fever outbreaks. The toolkit conta...ins: information about yellow fever; RCCE considerations for how to approach key issues during yellow fever outbreaks; tools for understanding the context in which yellow fever outbreaks occur; methods for collecting data to inform strategy development and bring evidence into planning and implementation of activities; guidance to support vector control and immunization campaigns; and links to existing RCCE tools and training. It is one of a suite of toolkits on RCCE readiness and response to a range of disease and response areas.
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Integrated Outbreak Analytics (IOA) applies a multidisciplinary approach to understanding outbreak dynamics and to inform outbreak response. It aims to drive comprehensive, accountable, and effective public health and clinical strategies by enabling communities, and national and subnational health a...uthorities to use data for operational decision-making. IOA embraces a holistic perspective of outbreak dynamics throughout: from the trigger questions to the data that are collected or accessed, to the interpretation of results and the recommendations that follow. In addition, IOA promotes co-development and monitoring of evidence informed actions.
The IOA toolkit aims to provide a clear understanding of IOA and highlight the importance of using an integrated, holistic approach to manage outbreak responses. It provides step-by-step guidance for setting up IOA and putting IOA principles into action. Finally, this toolkit provides guidance on applying IOA in humanitarian and emergency contexts, offering a practical and adaptable approach to informing public health emergency responses.
Developed based on the model from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), its creation involved extensive consultation with experts experienced in IOA applications. The toolkit was piloted in Tanganyika Province, DRC, as well as Somalia and Sudan, demonstrating its adaptability to diverse emergency scenarios. It builds upon an existing array of tools, templates, reports, case studies, animations, and publications used by stakeholders in diverse contexts.
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