Sustainable Development Goal 3.8 Universal Health Coverage from global perspectives: An analysis of the health insurance policies in Rwanda, Tanzania, South Africa, and Ghana

Sustainable Development Goal 3.8 Universal Health Coverage from Global Perspectives

Abstract

Background: The paper reviewed the policy strategies of four African states (Rwanda, Tanzania, South Africa, and Ghana) towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC). It found that these four countries used national or community-based health insurance schemes as vehicles or the means to achieve UHC by 2030 in the context of the global agenda (the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
Objective: The study aimed to specifically contribute to an interrogation of health insurance policy strategies in Africa.
Methods: It reviewed relevant literature on universal health coverage in selected regions like Europe, America, the Pacific, and Asia. It then added the materials to Sub-Saharan Africa. Data was obtained from secondary sources. Included criteria were the use of words such as United Nations Sustainable Development Goals SDGs), Universal Health Coverage (UHC), health, health insurance, health insurance scheme, and World Health Organization (WHO).
Results: The findings suggest that most African states have national or community-based health insurance schemes, and most of the health insurance schemes cover a good percentage of their population. However, most health insurance schemes cover less than half of the population. For the four cases, Rwanda and Ghana are excluded from the coverage of less than 50 percent of the population. Also, the four African states spent less than 10% of their GDP on health. These indicators suggest that the pathway towards achieving UHC in Africa by 2030 may still take some more years to be realised.
Conclusion: The study concludes that funding various health insurance schemes remains a challenge. Therefore, adequate funding by the African government for health and a positive attitude towards publicly funded health services are necessary to sustain African health insurance schemes or policies