The WHO Barcelona Office for Health Systems Financing is organizing a special edition of the “WHO Barcelona course on health financing for universal health coverage (UHC)” specifically designed for the Western Balkans. The course is scheduled to take place in Barcelona, Spain, from 7–11 April 2025. It is funded by the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) of the European Commission as part of a project to strengthen health systems resilience in the Western Balkans.
Designed to equip policy-makers with the knowledge and skills needed to improve health systems financing to make progress towards UHC, and with a focus on medicines policy and governance, the course explores policy questions such as:
- why some countries, territories and areas invest more in health care than others;
- how to make health systems financing more efficient and equitable;
- ways to ensure affordable access to health care in the Western Balkans; and
- how "UHC watch", a new digital platform tracking progress on affordable access to health care in Europe and central Asia, can help identify evidence and policy action to support reforms.
The course is aimed at policy-makers in the health and social policy sectors, senior managers in health-care organizations and experts engaged in health system reform in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo[1]. This includes representatives from ministries of health, health insurance funds, ministries of finance or equivalent authorities and relevant government agencies. The course will be delivered in English.
Real stories, real impact
See what previous participants from the Western Balkans had to say about their experience in the course.
“The course is really useful for my work. We’re currently working on reforms in Albania, creating multidisciplinary teams in primary health care and strengthening financing and regulation. The course shared examples of policy changes that made health care more affordable for people in different countries, which were very helpful.’’ – Ketrin Zeno, Director of Primary Health Care and Public Health Policies, Ministry of Health and Social Protection, Albania
“Participating in the course has been invaluable for me and I’ve gained a wealth of new knowledge. The exchange of experiences among countries towards the end of the course was particularly significant. Hearing about the challenges faced by others, and the solutions they proposed, gave us important insights.’’ – Vlatka Martinovic, Director of the Institute for Health Insurance Management, Bosnia and Herzegovina
“The course gave me significant insight into all the functions of health financing, as well as how small policy changes can impact financial protection. Other important reasons for participating are networking, connecting with people, exchanging ideas and knowledge and having the opportunity for potential collaboration.’’ – Milica Bakrač, Independent Advisor, Sector for Planning and Control of the Implementation of Health Service Provider Contracts, Health Insurance Fund, Montenegro
“The course offers invaluable insights into balancing efficiency, equity and sustainability in health financing, particularly in designing PHC models and payment systems that support these goals.” – Kiril Solesky, Senior Program Coordinator and Member of the National Steering Committee for the Implementation of Primary Health Care (PHC) Reform and the National Committee for Human Resources in Health, Ministry of Health, North Macedonia
About the course
Delivered in English, the course has trained over 1000 experts since its launch in 2011, addressing policy questions such as why some countries invest more in health care than others, how countries can make health systems more efficient and how to ensure affordable access to services, even when resources are limited.
[1] All references to Kosovo in this document should be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).