Proceedings of the 13th Meeting of the
COMCEC Poverty Alleviation Working Group
24
Annex 3: The Policy Recommendations
POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS HIGHLIGHTED BY THE 13TH MEETING OF THE COMCEC
POVERTY ALLEVIATIONWORKING GROUP
A policy debate session was held during the 13 th Meeting of the Poverty Alleviation Working
Group (PAWG). The Working Group came up with some concrete policy recommendations for
improving access to health services, especially for the poor, in the OIC and approximating
policies among the member countries in this important issue. The policy advices presented
below have been identified in light of the main findings of the research report titled “Access to
Health Services in the Islamic Countries” and the responses of the Member Countries to the
policy questionnaire which was sent by the COMCEC Coordination Office.
Policy Advice 1: Developing a strategy/policy including a well-designed payment and
health insurance schemes to achieve universal health coverage.
Rationale:
Access to health services is critical for human beings. However, access to health without having
financial risks is even more challenging. In this respect, universal health coverage is an
important asset enabling people’s, particularly the poor, access to health services without
having a risk of facing any financial hardship. To ensure that all people access to quality health
services they need, universal health coverage involves services in promotive, preventive,
curative, rehabilitative and palliative health services.
For a detailed analysis and to understand the dimensions of universal health coverage, widely
monitored indicators such as life expectancy, maternal mortality and under-5 mortality rate
need to be carefully examined. As a key indicator, life expectancy at birth signifies how well a
country’s health system is working in the provision of preventive, curative, rehabilitative and
palliative care. Life expectancy at birth has steadily increased for OIC countries over the period.
However, the OIC average is still behind the global average. The same situation is observed in
maternal mortality and under-5 mortality rates. In all these indicators, the OIC member
countries are quite behind the world average. Moreover, the life expectancy achievements vary
remarkably across the member countries.
In this context, there is a strong correlation between access to health services and the welfare
of citizens. Universal health coverage, by ensuring that all have access to health, is one of the
critical components in achieving Sustainable Development Goals and eradicating poverty. As a
way of pooling risks and expanding health service coverage, health insurance schemes are
needed to be designed carefully.