Sixth advanced course on health financing for universal coverage for low- and middle-income countries, Geneva

Luchtfoto van Genève
date November 18, 2019 - November 22, 2019
city Geneva, Switzerland
organisation World Health Organization (WHO) (WHO)

THE APPLICATION PROCESS IS NOW CLOSED

Course announcement

WHO is pleased to announce the Sixth Advanced course on health financing for universal coverage for low- and middle-income countries, to be held from 18 to 22 November 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland. This week-long advanced training program is organized by WHO’s Health Financing Policy team based in Geneva with selected contributions from global experts.

Who is the course for?

The course is designed for policy makers, advisors and analysts in the health and social sectors, senior managers of service provider organizations and health insurance funds, and other relevant actors in government (e.g. Ministries of Finance, Parliamentarians), the private sector and civil society. This is an advanced course and participants are expected to have extensive and relevant work experience and knowledge of health financing policy, and previous training in health systems and policy (e.g. participation in a Flagship Course).

This course will be delivered exclusively in English.

Course content

The course is structured in line with WHO’s approach to thinking and analyzing health financing policy and its role in improving health system performance, in particular making progress towards universal health coverage. During the course, participants will be able to apply WHO approach to analyze and reflect on their own health systems performance, assess the problems it faces, and discuss ideas with professionals from a wide range of countries. The course which is organized around the following core health financing functions or topics:

  • Raising revenues - strategic issues for policy makers
  • Pooling health revenues - minimizing fragmentation to maximize performance
  • Purchasing - more health for the money through payment reforms
  • Benefit design - considering equity, efficiency, financial protection and transparency
  • Health financing and public finance management - addressing bottlenecks
  • Coordinating reform - aligning multiple policy instruments with system goals

Faculty

The faculty will be comprised of both core trainers and guest keynote speakers, reflecting a diverse experience in health financing policy:

Core training team

  • Joseph Kutzin, Head of Health Financing Policy Team, WHO Geneva
  • Matthew Jowett, Senior Health Financing Specialist, WHO Geneva
  • Helene Barroy, Senior Health Financing Specialist, WHO Geneva
  • Cheryl Cashin, Managing Director, Results for Development Institute

Keynote speakers

Previous keynote speakers include: Eduardo Gonzalez Pier (Visiting Fellow at the Center for Global Development, former Deputy Minister of Health, Mexico), Viroj Tangcharoensathien (Senior Advisor, Ministry of Health, Thailand), Professor Diane McIntyre (School of Public Health and Family Medicine at the University of Cape Town), Professor Sarah Bennett (Johns Hopkins School of Public Health), and Dr. Agnès Soucat (Director for Health Systems Governance and Financing at WHO Geneva).

This year’s Keynote Speakers will be announced closer to the course.

Applications and deadlines

Step 1: Interested candidates complete and submit the online application using the following link:

The deadline for applications is Thursday 4 July 2019 at midnight (Geneva, Switzerland time). Places on the course are limited and demand is extremely high; this is an advanced course and not all applicants can be guaranteed a place.

Step 2: A Course Selection Committee will select participants based on a number of criteria. Please note that this is an advanced course, and hence the relevance of the applicant’s current position and work functions, and evidence of previous training on health policy and/or systems strengthening are particularly important. English language ability is also taken into account. Unfortunately, those who have already attended the course cannot be offered a place. Completion of the WHO e-learning course and submission of the certificate will be used as part of the selection proves. Teams from the same country representing different policy perspectives (e.g. health and finance) are strongly encouraged to apply.

Applicants will be informed of the decision of the Course Selection Committee by email within approximately four weeks of closure of applications.

Step 3: Accepted applicants will then be requested to confirm their participation in order to secure a place on the course; proof of funding to attend the course is an important consideration at this stage.

Costs and registration fee

There is no tuition or registration fee to attend the course.

WHO covers all costs related to the organization of the training course, including provision of course materials, drink and snacks breaks (morning and afternoon), and a midday meal on each of the five days of the course, plus one evening dinner reception.

Participants are responsible for organizing all other costs i.e. travel, accommodation, and other subsistence costs while attending the course. WHO will make recommendations with respect to accommodation.

Visa

Applicants are responsible for obtaining a visa, if required, to enter Switzerland. A formal invitation and visa support letter will be provided by WHO. Please note that obtaining a visa may require several weeks. Applicants are advised to confirm as early as possible the application process and likely timeframe with their nearest visa issuing authority.

Contact

Any queries regarding the application process should be sent by email to: hfcourse@who.int