Title: The creation of a health fund: the key to universal health coverage in the DRC
Introduction :
Universal health coverage is a priority for many countries, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo is no exception. With this in mind, President Félix Tshisekedi recently created the National Council for Universal Coverage (CNCU) with the aim of ensuring accessible health care for all. However, questions persist about the viability and effectiveness of this council. This is why we propose the idea of creating a health fund, which could be a more solid solution to achieve the objective of universal health coverage. In this article, we will analyze this proposal and its potential advantages.
Limits of the National Council for Universal Coverage:
The CNCU appears to lack elaborate and viable resources to ensure optimal health coverage. In addition, the technical questions surrounding its creation, its operation and the management of the diseases to be covered must be further explored. Currently, efforts seem to focus mainly on free births, leaving aside other important aspects of health. In addition, although the CNCU does not provide free medical care, the deferred payment method raises concerns about its feasibility and sustainability. It is therefore important to consider an alternative and complementary solution to guarantee effective universal health coverage.
The proposal to create a health fund:
We propose the creation of a health fund in addition to the CNCU. This fund would be an autonomous and complete entity, dedicated to the management of health care. It could rely on the existing social security funds in the DRC, such as the CNSS and the CNSSAP. Indeed, these funds already cover more than 30% of the population, which makes them a solid base of potential beneficiaries for a health fund. In addition, a levy on the taxes and levies paid by the entire population would enrich the resources of this fund, thus ensuring its financial viability.
The advantages of an autonomous health fund:
An autonomous health fund would have several advantages. First of all, it would allow better management of the financial resources intended for universal health coverage. By bringing together data on providers and beneficiaries of existing social security funds, the health fund would have a solid basis for providing initial care for active workers, retirees and their dependents. In addition, the creation of an independent health fund would make it possible to better harmonize health services and guarantee better quality of care..
Conclusion :
The creation of a health fund in addition to the National Council for Universal Coverage could be a solid solution to achieve the objectives of universal health coverage in the DRC. By relying on existing social security funds and strengthening financial resources through taxes and levies, an autonomous health fund could ensure efficient management of health care and guarantee universal health coverage for all. It is now time to study this proposal in depth and work on its implementation to provide the Congolese population with equitable and quality access to health care