WHO and multilateral development banks sign a $1.5 billion agreement to finance primary health care.
In a major step to enhance healthcare in low and middle-income countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) and multilateral development banks (MDBs) have introduced a $1.5 billion primary health financing platform covering 15 countries.
This groundbreaking initiative, part of the new ‘Health Impact Investment Platforms’, aims to strengthen primary healthcare (PHC) in vulnerable and underserved communities, enhancing resilience against pandemic threats like Monkeypox and the impacts of climate change.
The initial phase includes 15 countries: Burundi, Central African Republic, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guinea Bissau, Jordan, Maldives, Morocco, Senegal, South Sudan, The Gambia, Tunisia, and Zambia.
“Primary health care is the most equitable, cost-effective, and inclusive approach to improving health and well-being, enabling disease prevention and early outbreak detection,” stated Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
Ghebreyesus emphasized that the new platform is a “vital source of new financing” to help create climate- and crisis-resilient primary healthcare systems.
The platform will collaborate closely with the governments of the participating countries to develop national health strategies and prioritize investment opportunities aligned with their health needs.
The agreement was signed during a high-level roundtable meeting in New York, attended by representatives from the African Development Bank (AfDB), the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), WHO, and various heads of state and ministers from Djibouti, Egypt, and Ethiopia. The Asian Development Bank was also present.
As part of the initial contributions, the EIB and WHO signed an agreement for 10 million euros to kickstart the investment plans, with further commitments expected from the Islamic Development Bank and the African Development Bank.
