The Role of Digital Financial Services in Advancing Universal Health Coverage

Session Date: April 22, 2021

Session Description: Moderated by the USAID Senior Digital Health Advisor, this session convenes a diverse panel of esteemed stakeholders to offer insights on how digital financial services (DFS) advance universal health coverage globally. The first presentation offers evidence from a newly published global evidence review on whether and how DFS improve financial protection, utilization of health services, and health system performance, as well as factors for successful implementation. The next three panelists are executives from Ghana, Bangladesh, and Kenya/The Netherlands who will offer insights into the implementation of diverse applications of DFS in three country contexts. First, the CEO of the National Health Insurance Authority in Ghana will describe the process and efficiencies gained through digitization of insurance functions which has given the unbanked/informal sector control over their participation in the program. Next, the CEO and Founder of Digital Healthcare Solutions will discuss the evolution and impact of digital health insurance in Bangladesh. Finally the Commercial Director of CarePay will share insights about how their digital financial platform in Kenya (M-TIBA) enables patients, providers, and payers to engage in important ways.