Date & timeJuly 18 (Wed), 2018  13:30–15:00
VenueHitotsubashi University, Mercury Tower 3F #3302
SpeakerDr. Makoto TOBE, Senior Advisor (health financing/health systems) of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)  (an adjunct member of HIAS Health)
TitleEnabling pregnant women in rural mountainous areas of the Philippines to deliver babies at health facilities without suffering financial hardship — Cooperation for attaining Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
LanguageEnglish
AbstractUniversal health coverage (UHC) is defined as a state where all people have access to quality health services without suffering financial hardship (World health organization, 2010). Achieving UHC, especially ensuring access to essential health services and financial risk protection is one of targets of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Assistance for the UHC is also one of the priorities of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), a bilateral cooperation agency of Japan.
A technical cooperation project targeted to poor pregnant women in mountainous areas of the Philippines will be presented as an example of JICA’s assistance for UHC.
In the project, not only service delivery capacity of primary care facilities in remote areas was improved through trainings and facility renovation, but also financial risk protection of poor pregnant women was improved through enrollment in national health insurance program. As a result, poor pregnant women in mountainous areas, who used to deliver babies at home, start to deliver babies at health facilities, and deaths of mothers due to pregnancies and labors also successfully reduced.
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