EU Support to the Health Sector Reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Health sector reform is an urgent priority in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), as recognized by the Eighth BiH Economic Reform Programme (2022-2024). The current design and operations of the health care systems in BiH are the results of historical legacy, rather than the development of a modern health system centered on the needs of the people. Neither healthcare services nor public finance arrangements fully address these needs. Inadequate policies and inefficiencies in the provision of services result in underperforming curative, preventive, promotive, and rehabilitative services, affecting all in need and in particular people with complex or chronic health conditions. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic is putting severe strain on (public) health systems, while measures to contain its spread are resulting in an economic slowdown and threatening the economic security of many of the country's citizens, particularly those with low incomes. Building acceptable levels of confidence and trust in BiH's health systems is crucial to managing this and future public health crises effectively and narrowing the gap in performance compared to EU Member States.

The Action will focus on improving health systems in BiH to become capable of providing high-quality, people-centered care.

WHO has firmly focused technical content and scope of proposed interventions around strengthening primary health care (PHC) and making the health and care systems fit for moving towards and achieving universal health coverage (UHC), with clearly specified four main outputs: optimizing PHC service delivery model towards multidisciplinary, integrated, people-centered PHC; supporting PHC health workforce deployment and retention; digitalization of health information systems and PHC service delivery; and continuous performance monitoring and reporting; the latter two will be implemented in selected geographic areas.

UNICEF will contribute towards a more effective and efficient PHC in BiH with interventions benefiting children's health, which include childhood immunization, early childhood development services, nutrition and mental health.

The action will further support the broader governance area, complementing the forthcoming financial reforms in the health sector led by the World Bank.