Manama: The Regional Health Financing Forum 2025, themed "Enhancing Value for Money in Health Spending," commenced today in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The event is held in collaboration with the World Bank and runs from April 15-17.
According to Bahrain News Agency, the forum brings together decision-makers and experts from health and finance ministries, national health insurance bodies, and international organisations, including the World Bank, the Global Fund, and the World Health Organisation (WHO). The aim is to exchange experiences and discuss innovative solutions to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of health financing in the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Mediterranean regions.
In his opening remarks, Lieutenant General Dr. Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Health (SCH), underscored Bahrain's commitment to developing a more sustainable, efficient, and equitable health system. He highlighted the challenges facing the health sector in the region and the need to strengthen financing methods.
Dr. Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah outlined Bahrain's efforts in this regard, including restructuring service providers for greater flexibility, establishing a government fund for social health insurance, and integrating expatriate health insurance into the "Hakeem" programme. These initiatives represent a shift from traditional financing to active strategic purchasing based on efficiency and value.
The SCH Chairman emphasised that the forum serves as an important regional platform for exchanging best practices and lessons learned, encouraging participants to enrich discussions to achieve tangible and sustainable outcomes in health systems.
The forum's agenda includes a series of panel discussions and workshops covering key topics such as more efficient and equitable financing mechanisms, pricing of priority health products, enhancing the role of the private sector, and specialised sessions on improving the quality of healthcare and pharmaceutical spending.