Strengthening Health Financing Globally (SHF)

Globally, nearly half of the population lacks access to essential health services, and around two billion people experience financial hardship or are impoverished as a result of healthcare spending.

Against this backdrop, promoting the efficient and sustainable use of available global and domestic resources, and bolstering financial protection in health, is paramount. The Global Network for Social Health Protection and Health Financing (P4H) supports governments in establishing sustainable, resilient and equitable health financing systems to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC). OpenIMIS, a Swiss-developed open-source software solution, supplements these efforts by offering digital tools for managing health financing and social protection programmes. From 2026 onwards, Switzerland will combine its support for P4H and openIMIS, leveraging their synergies to enhance impact and efficiency.

The Swiss contribution to P4H is designed to bridge and leverage bilateral and global engagements in health financing and financial protection, supporting the work of the coordination desk of the Network, the technical exchanges and the deployment of health financing specialists in specific countries such as Uzbekistan and regions such as the Great Lakes. Within this phase, Switzerland will also promote increased use of openIMIS across P4H member countries.

The ultimate beneficiaries are the populations of LMICs, particularly those who lack access to quality healthcare and financial protection.

While P4H primarily targets government officials from the health, finance and social sectors, as well as technical staff from development partners and civil society organisations, openIMIS directly benefits operators of social health protection programmes. Indirectly, people covered by these programmes benefit from more inclusive, transparent and efficient social protection services. Women stand to benefit most, as digital public goods like openIMIS help to close the gender gap in access.

Outcome 1: National health financing institu-tions capacities are strengthened through aligned coordinated technical advisory and other services provided by multi- and bilateral partners.

Outcome 2: The P4H Network plays a leading role in driving action at both country and global levels. Global health and social protection part-ners drive and coordinate joint investments in universal social protection and UHC.

Outcome 3: The adoption and reach of open-IMIS have expanded, with increased utilization across P4H member countries.

Resultados previstos:  

- Selected countries have benefited from technical and coordination support in preparing their UHC-relevant legislation, including health financing, to improve access to services.

- Global evidence on the combined impact of investing in social protection and health financing is generated through data and experiences from P4H partner countries.

- The openIMIS Coordination Desk facilitates knowledge exchange within the community.

- Joint advocacy and capacity building are conducted at global and country levels with P4H and openIMIS partners.

Resultados de las fases anteriores:  

From 2024 to 2025, P4H supported 31 legislative, policy or programme changes across 11 countries, promoting financial protection and health financing reforms.

P4H Network partnered with and/or contributed to interregional exchanges, study tours and collaborative events that fostered innovation, capacity development and policy learning.

As of July 2025, 14 countries had adopted openIMIS solutions, benefiting 34.6 million people across 16 health and social protection programmes.

Fase 1 01.01.2026 - 31.12.2028   (Active)