Training Course on Health System Financing and Resource Allocation

Module 1 – Introduction to Health System Financing
Theoretical Concepts:
Principles of healthcare financing.
Health financing functions: revenue collection, pooling, and purchasing.
Global health financing models (Beveridge, Bismarck, National Health Insurance, out-of-pocket).
Financing for Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Practical Application:
Case discussion: comparing financing systems in the UK, USA, and LMICs.
Exercise: mapping the financing model of participants’ home countries.

Module 2 – Sources of Healthcare Funding
Theoretical Concepts:
Public financing: taxation and social health insurance.
Private financing: voluntary health insurance and out-of-pocket payments.
Donor funding and global health initiatives (Gavi, Global Fund, World Bank).
Financial protection and minimizing catastrophic health expenditures.
Practical Application:
Group activity: analyze advantages and disadvantages of different financing sources.
Case study: donor dependency and sustainability challenges in healthcare.

Module 3 – Budgeting and Financial Planning in Healthcare
Theoretical Concepts:
Healthcare budgeting methods: line-item, program-based, and performance-based budgeting.
Priority setting in financial planning.
Financial risk management in healthcare organizations.
Tools for forecasting healthcare expenditures.
Practical Application:
Workshop: developing a departmental budget for a hospital.
Simulation: responding to a sudden budget cut while maintaining essential services.

Module 4 – Resource Allocation and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis
Theoretical Concepts:
Resource allocation frameworks: efficiency vs. equity trade-offs.
Economic evaluation methods: cost-minimization, cost-effectiveness, cost-utility, and cost-benefit analysis.
Decision-making under resource constraints.
Allocating resources for preventive vs. curative care.
Practical Application:
Case study: cost-effectiveness of vaccination programs vs. treatment interventions.
Activity: prioritize allocation of limited funds across competing healthcare needs.

Module 5 – Strategies for Sustainable Health Financing and Equity
Theoretical Concepts:
Health financing reforms in LMICs.
Role of public-private partnerships (PPPs).
Strengthening financial accountability and transparency.
Innovations in healthcare financing (sin taxes, digital financing, community-based schemes).
Practical Application:
Capstone Project: Design a sustainable financing and resource allocation strategy for a national or institutional healthcare system.
Group presentations and peer review.