Despite global technological advancements, healthcare costs continue to push millions into extreme poverty every year.
People living on low-income, in particular, face significant financial barriers to healthcare access. Every year, about 100 million of them fall into poverty due to health-related shocks. Governments are not able to support their citizens’ health needs sufficiently.
Digital payments can serve as a powerful catalyst for improving access to essential health and financial services, particularly for women. When deployed responsibly, digital payments can strengthen health system outcomes and financing, by reducing inefficiencies and leakages, generating cost savings, and enabling innovation
The World Health Organization, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the United Nations Better Than Cash Alliance call on governments, health organizations, the private sector, and other stakeholders to accelerate the responsible digitization of payments and integrate them into health systems at all levels.
This call to action report provides strategic recommendations for all stakeholders to achieve “Health for All” through responsible payments digitization, and highlights successful digital payment initiatives from Alliance members Senegal, WHO and the Global Fund, in a brief set of interesting case studies:
Further health system stakeholders are called on to join this Call to Action,and accelerate the transition to responsible digital payments in the health sector, to improve people’s access to healthcare, health outcomes, and health system financing opportunities.