WHO Barcelona Health Financing Course Heads to Central Asia with a Focus on Universal Health Coverage

WHO/Europe has announced that the renowned WHO Barcelona course on health financing for universal health coverage (UHC) will be held in Almaty, Kazakhstan. This edition features a specially tailored program for Central Asian countries designed to address the region’s specific health financing challenges.

Organized by the WHO Barcelona Office for Health Systems Financing in collaboration with the WHO European Centre for Primary Health Care, the course aims to provide policymakers with the tools and expertise necessary to strengthen health systems financing and accelerate progress toward UHC. Participants will engage with key policy questions, such as why some countries allocate more resources to health care, how to enhance the efficiency and equity of health financing, and ways to ensure affordable access to essential services.

The course adopts an interactive approach, incorporating hands-on activities and group work to help participants identify and analyze primary health care (PHC) financing issues, explore underlying causes, and develop practical solutions. The content balances theoretical insights with pragmatic strategies, ensuring that attendees leave with actionable knowledge.

The Almaty edition will gather around 60 senior policymakers and managers from the health and social policy sectors, representing ministries of health, health insurance funds, finance ministries, and government administrations from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Over the course of three days (Tuesday–Thursday), participants will delve into regional health financing strategies. The program will also feature a country-specific day on Friday, focusing on the theme “Smart financing, stronger PHC: operationalizing key strategies for better health outcomes.”

Conducted in both English and Russian, the course is part of WHO’s broader effort to support countries in achieving UHC, a core priority of the WHO European Programme of Work, 2020–2025, and a key Sustainable Development Goal. UHC ensures that everyone can access quality health care without facing financial difficulties, and health financing policy plays a critical role in this journey. By understanding the principles of health financing reform, policymakers can design effective strategies to improve healthcare affordability and access.

Targeting policymakers, senior healthcare managers, and experts engaged in health system reforms, the course has trained over 1,000 professionals since its inception in 2011, equipping them with the knowledge to advance healthcare reforms and improve health outcomes across the region.

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