Aspirational Goals and Building Alliances:

Lessons for UHC from APLMA

Dr Ben Rolfe
Executive Director, APLMA
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this paper/presentation are the views of the
author and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Asian Development
Bank (ADB), or its Board of Governors, or the governments they represent. ADB does
not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this paper and accepts no
responsibility for any consequence of their use. Terminology used may not
necessarily be consistent with ADB official terms.

What is APLMA?

A high level political advocacy platform established to:

Accelerate political commitment to malaria elimination
Mobilize country and regional action
Track progress to reduce malaria in line with regional
and global targets
Deliver an Asia Pacific free of malaria by 2030

Universal Health Coverage

Universal Health Care (UCH) economically &
ethically correct
Investment in health = good returns
an economic driver
Malaria can be an indicator of coverage

A few words about prevention

More efficient than treating disease
Requires strong and robust health systems
Weak health systems in LMIC require
bolstering

What should UHC be?

Reflects local values
Internally driven
Include prevention and public health
Strengthen health care systems
5

Funding UHC
Increase revenue collection
Direct and indirect taxes

Re-prioritize government spending

Increase health system efficiency payment
models, incentives
Innovative financing
Sin tax
Airline ticket levies
6

UHC, SHI and Aspirational Goals

The political economy of policy reform
Mobilize additional domestic resources for health
Organizational changes for improved health
system quality & efficiency
Extend financial risk protection to more people
Provide greater levels of protection for those
already covered

SHI and Malaria a unique

opportunity

1997 WHO malaria a major public health challenge

World Malaria Report 2015 262 million cases
32 million cases in Asia-Pacific region
Up to 2 billion people at risk.
Between 2000 and 2015, 58% reduction in cases
Risk of resurgence and drug resistance

Elimination myth or reality?

Leaders in Asia-Pacific region have agreed to
eliminate by 2030
Elimination will support fiscal growth
Potential tourism and agricultural benefits
But some challenges:
Multidrug resistance
High transmission areas
Preventing reintroduction in malaria free zones
9

Leaders Malaria Elimination Roadmap

Leaders Malaria Elimination Roadmap

Deliver more than US$300 billion in benefits

Necessities
Fully functioning health care systems
Adequate funds and resources

Ensure lessons from other communicable

disease outbreaks are incorporated
Extend to include other infections
Tb burden

12

Universal Health Care through social health

insurance working to eliminate malaria