“Nations Unite: Advancing Toward Health Care Access for 1.5 Billion People”

 Advancement Towards Goal of Delivering Health Care to 1.5 Billion People Progresses as Nations Embrace National Health Agreements

Reforms target the enhancement of primary care, increasing affordability, and fostering job-rich economic growth.

Today, nations and partners have reported ongoing strides toward the World Bank Group’s target—established in April 2024—aimed at providing accessible, quality health services to 1.5 billion individuals by 2030. Riding on this wave of progress, 15 nations have rolled out National Health Agreements, detailing actionable, five-year reforms intended to widen primary health care access, enhance affordability, and promote employment-intensive economic development.

Since the announcement of the goal, the World Bank Group and its partners have aided countries in reaching 375 million individuals with quality and affordable health care. Efforts are now in progress with approximately 45 nations to implement proven primary care strategies that not only improve health outcomes but also generate jobs within health workforces, local supply chains, and allied industries.

This advancement occurs amid governments grappling with aging demographics, increasing chronic diseases, and financial strains. The 2025 Global Monitoring Report—unveiled today at the Tokyo Universal Health Coverage High-Level Forum—reveals that 4.6 billion individuals lack access to essential health services, while 2.1 billion experience financial distress due to health expenditures. Such issues highlight the urgent need for sustainable, coordinated reforms to help countries develop more robust and equitable health systems.

“Resilient primary health systems do more than protect health—they create jobs and economic prospects,” stated the World Bank Group President. Countries are moving forward with clear goals, and we are working with them to offer solutions that are both effective and easy to scale. When initiatives converge on effective strategies, the impact amplifies.”

National Health Agreements: Practical, Nation-Led Strategies

In Tokyo, the 15 participating nations revealed National Health Agreements endorsed at the highest government levels. These Agreements align Health and Finance Ministries around measurable objectives, serve as a framework for coordinated efforts, and guide developmental partners in accordance with nation-led priorities. The reforms are concentrated on three primary domains: enhancing the availability and quality of primary care, boosting financial protections, and fortifying the health workforce.

Nations have pledged to secure new funding, expand and digitally upgrade their health workforce, modernize healthcare facilities, broaden insurance coverage, and utilize digital tools to enhance service delivery. Noteworthy examples include:

Investing in integrated, service-ready facilities

• The Philippines is establishing digital links among health facilities nationwide.
• Uzbekistan is streamlining processes through digitization to reduce workloads by 30%.
• Sierra Leone intends for every citizen to have access to quality primary care within five kilometers, planning the construction of 300 new facilities and equipping 1,800 with solar power and digital connections.

Diversifying primary care delivery

• Bangladesh is enhancing multi-platform primary care models backed by updated regulations and digital tools.
• Indonesia is expanding digital primary care, linking over 600 facilities to hospitals via telemedicine to provide services closer to patients' homes.

Digitally empowering and reinforcing the health workforce

• Ethiopia aims to equip at least 40% of primary health facilities with digital tools to assist in clinical care and workforce management.
• Saint Lucia is investing in a skilled, digitally competent workforce and modernizing regulations and education through regional collaboration.

Eliminating financial hurdles to care

• Kenya plans to double public health spending over five years to achieve 5% of GDP and broaden social health insurance coverage from 26% to 85%, offering full subsidies for vulnerable groups.
• Morocco will extend mandatory health insurance to an extra 22 million individuals.

Encouraging regional manufacturing of health products and technologies

• Nigeria will train 10,000 professionals in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, establish Centers of Excellence, and provide tax incentives to boost local production of vaccines, medicines, diagnostics, and health technologies.

Supporting National Priorities Through Partnerships and Financing

Achieving the 1.5 billion goal relies on coordinated collaboration. To assist nations in progressing their National Health Agreements and broader reforms:

• The World Bank Group, Gavi, and the Global Fund have announced synchronized financing, including $2 billion co-financed by each entity.
• Philanthropic partners—operating through the Global Financing Facility and the Health Systems Transformation and Resilience Fund—are mobilizing up to $410 million in philanthropic support to catalyze even greater financial commitments to essential health sectors.
• Seed Global Health is collaborating with nations that have introduced compacts to build capacity and offer insights for assessments, planning, and policy formulation, focusing on advanced health workforce development.
• Japan, a longstanding advocate for universal health coverage, along with the United Kingdom and others, is providing technical assistance to facilitate the implementation of reforms in countries.

To enhance knowledge exchange, Japan, WHO, and the World Bank Group have established the Universal Health Coverage Knowledge Hub, aimed at providing nations with practical, evidence-based solutions and facilitating peer learning.

The Universal Health Coverage High-Level Forum—co-hosted by the Government of Japan, WHO, and the World Bank Group—brought together ministers of health and finance, business leaders, philanthropists, global health organizations, and civil society.

The nations that announced National Health Agreements today are Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, Indonesia, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Syria, Tajikistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Zambia. View all National Health Agreements here.