Financing access to RMNCH interventions for universal health coverage

Overview

Improving health outcomes for women and children requires suffi cient funding to implement proven interventions that span the continuum of care from pre-pregnancy to delivery, the postnatal period, and childhood. The global economic crisis has led to greater volatility in international development assistance for RMNCH, both in terms of availability of funds and consistency with which donors meet their commitments. There is now increased focus on the role of national fi nancing – funds for public or private sources within a country that are committed to the health sector – in reaching universal health coverage (UHC). UHC is the ability of patients to access health services without suffering fi nancial hardship. Strong national fi nancing mechanisms for achieving UHC are required to ensure that country-level efforts to meet Millennium Development Goals 4 (child health) and 5 (maternal health) are sustainable beyond 2015.