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3.6. Regional policies related to access to health services within OIC region
In the recent years the OIC has made a great effort to improve access to health services for all with the
collaboration of national governments of the member states, as well international organisations such
as WHO. The most recent policies that are implemented in the OIC region are part of the OIC Strategic
Health Programme of Action (OIC-SHPA) which is carried out in the period 2014-2023. The
Programme provides the framework for collaboration and action at the national, OIC and international
level in order to tackle the most pressing issues regarding the health status of the region. The OIC-
SHPA is divided in 6 thematic areas:
 Health system strengthening
 Disease prevention and control
 Maternal, new-born and child health and nutrition
 Medicines, vaccines & medical technologies
 Emergency health response and intervention
 Information, research, education and advocacy
Among others, WHO, UNISEF, UNFPA, and the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
have shown interest to collaborate with the OIC on the implementation of this strategic plan.
The first thematic area of the OIC-SHPA addresses the main issues of healthcare coverage that many
members state still face. The status of access to health services is still poor in many countries of the
OIC region, mainly due to the low quality of health infrastructure, low financial resources, and a lack
of sufficiently trained workforce (OIC, 2017). The OIC-SHPA supports the member states with policy
analyses, advice on designing new health policies as well as financial advice in order to achieve
universal health care coverage (UHC) in the long run. Among others, the Statistical, Economic and
Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries (SESRIC), the Islamic Development Bank
(IDB), WHO and theWorld Bank are the international partners that are supporting the implementation
of the plan in these specific areas (OIC-SHPA, 2013).
The plan also covers improvements on the access to the existing health services that each country
provides. The goal is to facilitate intra-OIC cooperation in exchanging knowledge andmedical practices
through capacity building programmes, to encourage the evaluation of health programmes, as well as
to support with funding and technical assistance the creation of new national health institutes or the
improvement of existing ones in each country of the OIC. The OIC-SHPA also seeks to promote the
trading of medicine, vaccines, medical equipment and technology among members of the OIC region,
as well as intra-OIC investment in the health sector (OIC-SHPA, 2013). The exchange of medical
resources and knowledge within the OIC region and the strengthening of the health financing system,
along with the collaboration of international partners, is essential for the progress of the whole region
towards wider access to health services and eventually achieving universal health care coverage.
Apart from OIC-level policies, we also see strong initiative in terms of improving health care coverage
in specific regions of the OIC, especially in the Middle-Eastern and North-African region (MENA). Some
of the newest policies in MENA countries are part of The World Bank Health Nutrition and Population
Sector Strategy for MENA (2013-2018), which are built on the basis of fairness, equity and
accountability to promote sustainable health systems that provide with universal health care coverage
(UHC). The goal is to promote equitable distribution of health services, financial protection and
equitable responsiveness in terms of emerging diseases and health-related emergencies. Targeting is
given a special emphasis throughout these policies, as well-targetedmechanisms are essential in order
to reach the most vulnerable and remote parts of the population. The problem of out-of-pocket
expenses is also addressed, as this is an issue that many MENA and OIC countries face and is affecting
a large part of the population, even those who are “covered” by health insurance.