At least half a dozen Asian countries are planning or implementing governance and financing reforms to achieve universal health coverage. But policymakers in these countries are faced with difficult decisions, including how to fund health care, which health services to cover, and which populations to cover first.

Participants at the Asia Flagship Course on Health Systems Strengthening and Health Finance

To assist their planning process, USAID sponsored the Asia Regional Flagship Course on Health Systems Strengthening and Sustainable Financing: The Challenge of Universal Health Coverage in Bangkok, Thailand earlier this month.

The five-day course drew 70 participants from 17 countries across the region. Experts from around the world taught sessions ranging from health coverage regulation and financing to improved hospital governance and organizational change.

The flagship course was offered under the auspices of the Asia Network for Capacity Building in Health Systems Strengthening and was also sponsored by the World Bank Institute and P4H. HFG provided financing and administrative support, while the Sri Lanka-based Institute for Health Policy handled the event’s logistics.