SOCIEUX+ in Saint Lucia: Facilitating National Health Insurance

Since the early 2000s, Saint Lucia has been considering the introduction of a universal health coverage scheme. The government has expressed the need for a national health insurance scheme as a means of financing an essential package of health services that provides health care and financial protection to citizens, reduces the burden of out-of-pocket expenditures on households, and promotes efficiency and equity in the use of resources for health.

To assist in this process, SOCIEUX+ mobilized an Italian expert from the private sector and a French expert from the public institution Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) to provide an assessment of the health financing context and formulate realistic policy options to advance the objective of national health insurance. The public health components and major challenges of the health sector were assessed from available information, documentation and interviews with key stakeholders particularly at the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MoHW), which initially requested SOCIEUX+ assistance, as well as the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and the Prime Minister’s cabinet. Available financial elements have been taken into account in order to design a sustainable and adequate health financing policy.

A further technical assistance activity will take place soon, and focus on enhancing the policy design skills of relevant MoHW officers to develop the national health insurance system.

SOCIEUX+ 2017-18 SAINT LUCIA, ACT. 1 (29/01 – 09/02/2018)