23-Apr-18, AEC News Today
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a USD30 mn grant to the Lao government to expand healthcare coverage and improve health services throughout the country.
%20AEC%20News%20Today.jpg "Lao healthcare gets USD30 mn boost from ADB (c) AEC News Today")
Image: AEC News Today
The policy-based grant will fund the second subprogram of the Health Sector Governance Program, focusing on improving Lao healthcare in four areas:
- Support for the Lao government’s Health Sector Reform Strategy (HSRS) process
- Enhance the roll-out of free healthcare for the poor, especially for women and children
- Improve health human resource management
- Improving the health sector's financial management system
Under the HSRS the government plans to introduce universal health coverage by 2025, with a national health insurance programme covering the entire population set to commence operating by the end of 2018.