ReBUILD at IHEA 2025
2 July 2025
ReBUILD is well represented at the International Health Economics Association Congress on 19-23 July [opens new tab]. Professor Sophie Witter is presenting and taking part in five health economics sessions and a book launch, all of which are well worth attending if you are at the conference. All times are local time (UTC +8).
Improving financial protection in health: strengthening the evidence to policy pipeline
Saturday 19 July 19 – 9AM-5PM – Orchid (1, Bali International Convention Centre) – read the conference listing [opens new tab]
Despite the global ambition to achieve universal health coverage by 2030, there is limited progress in improving financial protection. This pre-congress World Bank session, divided into four modules, will bring together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to present new evidence, share country-specific experiences, and discuss policy options. Module one is on policy options, and will be led by Prof Witter with an evidence review of interventions to improve financial protection in health care. The second module will be devoted to policy choices for improving financial protection. The third session will consider new evidence on financial protection in health in Asia, and module four will look at a new monitoring framework for financial protection.
Bridging theory and practice: launch of Health Financing in Low and Middle Income Countries: the Path to Universal Health Coverage – a new resource for the health economics community
Sunday 20 July 20 – 2:30-4:30 PM – Heliconia (3, Bali International Convention Centre) – read the conference listing here [opens new tab]
The session introduces a new book on health financing (Borghi et al, eds), designed as a learning tool for health economics Master’s, PhD students, researchers and professionals in LMIC. Panellists will highlight key concepts from their chapters, illustrate their empirical application through real world country case studies, and address questions from the audience; Prof Witter will be presenting a chapter on political economy and health financing. Participants will then break into small groups to explore chapter-specific topics in more depth and relate them to their contexts. The session concludes with key takeaways and reflections from the editors and panellists.
Financing health care in the context of climate change opportunities for low carbon and resilient health systems
Monday 21 July 21 – 3:30-5PM – Jakarta B (2, Bali International Convention Centre) – read the conference listing here [opens new tab]
Sophie Witter moderates this session. Climate change poses significant risks to the health sector, amplifying population health needs, impacting health systems and government and household budgets. These effects are especially concerning for low- and middle-income countries, which, despite contributing the least to emissions, are most vulnerable to climate-events. Currently, governments and households finance the health and health system costs of climate hazards ex-post, which is costly, and threatens to reverse universal health coverage (UHC) progress by reducing the affordability of care. The health sector also contributes to climate change as a significant source of emissions. Addressing climate risks for health systems ex-ante, and reducing sectoral emissions, require additional resources and a rethink of financing arrangements. Countries designing health financing reforms for UHC have an opportunity to integrate climate risk considerations, to reduce climate impacts on health systems, while also incentivizing emissions reductions. Climate finance instruments may also be leveraged for health systems.
Transnational lifelines: the role of diaspora capital on health system resilience in fragile and shock-prone settings
Tuesday 22 July – 1:30-3PM – Heliconia (3, BICC) – read the conference listing here [opens new tab]
Fragile and conflict-affected states face severe health system challenges that diminish the capacity of the health system to respond and adapt in crisis to ensure delivery of essential health services. Diaspora play a significant role in supporting healthcare and health systems globally. However, their contributions to resilience of health systems, particularly in fragile and shock prone settings, remain underexplored. This short oral presentation highlights important resource flows through which diaspora capital —human, social, and financial — contribute to health system resilience capabilities in fragile and shock prone settings. As climate threats, epidemics, and conflicts increasingly strain health systems particularly in fragile settings, leveraging diaspora capabilities through adaptive policy is critical for progress towards universal health coverage and health security.
Assessing contracting-out of health care in Afghanistan: lessons from 20 years of evolution amid turbulence
Tuesday 22 July 22, 3:30-5PM – Jasmine (3, Bali International Convention Centre) – read the conference listing here [opens new tab]
Since 2002, international donors have played a pivotal role in financing health services and supporting health system development in Afghanistan. The scope of the country’s health services is defined by the Basic Package of Health Services (BPHS) and the Essential Package of Hospital Services (EPHS). Significant improvements have been observed in access to key maternal health services, such as antenatal care and institutional deliveries. Currently, BPHS/EPHS are offered nationwide through approximately 2,400 of the 4,200 health facilities. The expansion of service coverage and access has led to notable improvements in health outcomes. However, the contracting model has changed over time, including its approach to and design of results-based financing (RBF) of service providers, while the landscape has also changed considerably, particularly with the return of the Taliban in 2021. In this presentation, we examine the evolution of the contracting model and its approach to RBF, what it has achieved and where there may be gaps, and how it can be strengthened to support service delivery and resilience going forward. We find that the RBF model in Afghanistan expanded gradually, evolving to respond to the Afghanistan context and challenges, and that the contracting approach has responded to cycles of violence, including the 2021 Taliban takeover. Some resilience of the system has been built, largely through the role of the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and their flexibility in using resources, delivering services and managing risks at local level. The program, approach, and RBF model has contributed to increased service coverage and improved health outcomes. However, outstanding challenges include the fragmentation of the health service delivery system in Afghanistan.
Strengthening health financing in complex humanitarian contexts: analysis from Northwest Syria and its implications for other disrupted contexts
Wednesday 23 July, 1:30-3PM – Denpasar A (2, Bali International Convention Centre) – read the conference listing here [opens new tab]
This flash oral presentation describes a diagnostic of financing arrangements in Northwest Syria using the framework of the WHO Health Financing Progress Matrix (HFPM). It highlights specific financing bottlenecks, especially around coordination across the multiple actors, and proposes interventions to support sustainable health financing and system recovery. While specific, these challenges reflect features that are commonly found in other disrupted settings, so better understanding of their nature and how to address them is important for moving ahead with UHC globally. Suggested adaptations of the HFPM for complex emergency and disputed settings is also a contribution to the development of this important normative and measurement tool.