Advancing universal health coverage in Zambia: understanding how to build a stronger and more resilient health system.

The aim of this project is to develop a joint research and educational program that can improve our understanding of health financing and health systems evidence gaps in Zambia, and build capacity for analyzing health systems.

Zambia has, over the last 20-years, taken steps to introduce health sector reforms to achieve access to good quality health care. More recently, Zambia has committed to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030.

However, despite thee steps taken to achieve UHC, many challenges remain to sustainably build and finance health services for all. Over half of the population in Zambia fall below the poverty line.

The large number of people living in poverty means that finding mechanisms for ensuring UHC, is essential to protect vulnerable groups from financial hardships due to ill health and using health services.

Building resilience is also crucial to ensuring population and service coverage during challenging times but will require government and donors to invest in long-term capacity building and health systems strengthening support that addresses the complex, root causes of weak health systems.Zambia is in a sense at a crossroad.

With continued economic growth the country will become a lower middle-income country and to an increasing extent must finance its health system using domestic resources.

To effectively tackle these transitions, evidence on effective health financing mechanisms as well as improved health system resilience are critical.