The WHO Country Office in Ukraine, with strong support from international experts from the WHO Barcelona Office for Health Systems Financing, will deliver a tailored course on Health Financing Policy for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Kyiv, Ukraine. Despite the full-scale Russian invasion, the course will take place for the fourth consecutive year, building on a track record of training over 150 participants in Ukraine and strengthening health financing capacity and policy dialogue.
This three-day course is adapted to the Ukrainian context and current health system priorities, focusing on health system recovery, resilience, and ongoing reforms during wartime. The course will bring together participants from government institutions, national agencies, regional health departments, providers, and partner organizations working on health financing policy and implementation.
Participants will focus on key questions, including:
- How to ensure equitable and affordable access to health services during health system recovery and reform?
- How to strengthen the sustainability and resilience of health financing arrangements in Ukraine?
- How can strategic purchasing and provider payment reforms improve service delivery and health system performance?
- How can health financing policy support primary health care, rehabilitation, and people-centred care?
The course combines technical sessions on health financing with hands-on group work, country case discussions, interactive exercises, and a high-level panel discussion that brings together Ukrainian experience with international evidence and good practice. It is designed to support applied learning through direct engagement with national and international experts, enabling participants to critically reflect on how global evidence can inform the design and implementation of reforms in the Ukrainian context.
A key distinctive feature of the course is its highly interactive and practice-oriented format, including the UHC Board Game, which allows participants to experience health financing trade-offs in a simulated policy environment. The course also provides strong opportunities for peer networking and informal exchange, fostering long-term professional connections among participants and faculty.
Why a course on health systems financing?
Universal health coverage (UHC) – ensuring that everyone can access quality health services without financial hardship – is a Sustainable Development Goal, part of the European Pillar of Social Rights, and a core priority of the WHO European Programme of Work 2025–2030. Health financing policy plays a central role in progressing towards UHC. By understanding the principles of health financing policy and assessing options for reform, policymakers are better equipped to design and implement effective strategies to improve access, financial protection, and health system performance.
About the course
The original Barcelona week-long intensive course has trained over 1,000 experts since its launch in 2011. It addresses key 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. Health financing policy plays a critical role in advancing countries towards UHC.
Over the past years, tailored editions of the WHO Barcelona course have been organized to support experts in Central Asia, the Western Balkans, Armenia, Estonia, Moldova, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. The course has become a platform for peer learning, practical exchange, and policy dialogue on health financing reforms across the WHO European Region.