Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.
Glob Health Sci Pract. 2018 Oct 10;6(Suppl 1):S29-S40. doi: 10.9745/GHSP-D-18-00271.
Countries finance health care using a combination of 3 main functions: raising resources for health, pooling resources, and purchasing health services. In this paper, we examine how digital health technologies can be used to enhance these health financing functions in low- and middle-income countries and can thus contribute to progress toward universal health coverage. We illustrate our points by presenting some recent innovations in digital technologies for financing health care, identifying their contributions and their limits. Some examples include a mobile-health wallet application used in Kenya that encourages households to put money aside for future health expenses; an online software platform developed by a startup in Tanzania in partnership with a private insurance provider to give individuals and families the opportunity to choose among different health coverage options; and digital maps by a number of startups that bring together data on health facility locations and capacity, including equipment, staff, and types of services offered. We also sketch an agenda for future research and action for digital strategies for health financing. The development and adoption of effective solutions that align well with the universal health coverage agenda will require strong partnerships between stakeholders and enough proactive stewardship by authorities.
各国利用以下 3 项主要功能的组合来为医疗保健提供资金：筹集卫生资源、资源汇集以及购买卫生服务。本文探讨了数字健康技术如何可用于加强低收入和中等收入国家的这些卫生筹资功能，以及如何有助于在实现全民健康覆盖方面取得进展。我们通过介绍一些用于资助卫生保健的数字技术创新，来说明我们的观点，确定它们的贡献和局限性。其中包括肯尼亚使用的一个移动保健钱包应用程序，该应用程序鼓励家庭为未来的卫生费用存钱；坦桑尼亚的一家初创企业与一家私营保险公司合作开发的在线软件平台，让个人和家庭有机会选择不同的健康保险方案；以及一些初创企业绘制的数字地图，汇集了关于卫生机构位置和能力的数据，包括设备、人员以及提供的服务类型。我们还概述了制定数字卫生筹资战略的未来研究和行动议程。制定和采用与全民健康覆盖议程相吻合的有效解决方案，需要利益攸关方之间建立强有力的伙伴关系，以及主管部门积极主动地进行管理。
