Evolution Of Community-Based Health Insurance System ‘VICI’

Prof. Charles Ekow Yankah

Solution for funding Universal Health Coverage (UHC) remains a socio-economic challenge to the low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to fulfill the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

It would require more stakeholders and creative ideas that would promote self-sponsoring solidarity community healthcare.

One of the needed initiatives which is in alignment with Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA) of the 3rd International Conference on Financing for Development and the UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 would be a creation of a community-based health insurance system ‘VICI’ driven by diaspora and global community.

VICI Foundation for Global Health (Germany) is incentivising the diaspora to invest in healthcare to improve access to and affordable healthcare in West Africa.

The imperatives for creating such a foundation are to foster risk pooling VICI community-based health insurance system driven by the diaspora to supplement national health insurance systems in West Africa.

It is aimed at defining factors that would overcome operational challenges to ensure sustainability of VICI health insurance such as clear legislation, strong risk management and strong managerial capacity and low overhead cost.

It would promote supra-regional medical centres of excellence for capacity building programmes (teaching the teachers, skill training), sustainable infrastructure, quality and affordable healthcare services and delivery up to heart operations to strengthening the health systems in the sub-regions.

It is a strategy to mobilise the public and donor money to the private to develop universal healthcare and better supply chain in the region.

Over $30 billion (60% from the private sector) in new investments would be required for the next five years to facilitate distribution, retail systems and medical pharmaceuticals supply.

Members of the foundation would support and build a digital (internet) platform and a positive communication network for serving and promoting the purpose and common goal.

The foundation would require a short-term financial support in order to ensure adequate implementation of its projects to achieve its goals: awareness advocacy and education on disease prevention, screening for early detection and treatment of CDs and NCDs, acquisition of data and scientific evaluation of collected data, digital health, telemedicine, capacity building programmes, regional medical centres of excellence to promote accessibility to affordable quality healthcare  and universal health coverage.

Writer: Prof. Charles Ekow Yankah, Berlin, Germany

E-mail: cyankah@web.de

 

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