Master course: Financing for Universal Health Coverage in the context of cancer control | UICC

Financing for Universal Health Coverage in the context of cancer control

Overview

Health financing, one of the seven building blocks of a well-functioning health system, can be a key policy instrument to improve health and reduce health inequalities if aimed at removing financial barriers to accessing health care and preventing financial hardship.

The long-term and complex nature of cancer and other chronic and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), paired with the rising burden of NCDs, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, pose serious financial challenges to the equitable provision of cancer care and protection of households from catastrophic expenditure.

By discussing the financing component of the health system and its core functions, this course will highlight how health financing can be used as a policy-making tool to pursue universal coverage in cancer care. Drawing lessons from case studies to reflect the context of low- and middle-income countries globally, the course will focus on the practical policy and strategic decision-making options available to countries as they follow their individual paths to universal health coverage in the context of cancer control.

Learning objectives

• Provide participants with the theoretical underpinnings of health financing and its core functions to support a better understanding of how cancer care is financed
• Provide an understanding of the role health financing can play in progressing towards universal health coverage in cancer care in view of formulating policy options to improve coverage as part of UHC
• Help participants to analyse and reflect on their own health systems, assess the problems it faces, and explore alternative policy options

Target audience 

The course is designed for policymakers, health advisors and analysts, senior managers of health providers and health insurance funds, representatives of cancer societies, patient groups and other relevant actors in government (e.g. Ministries of Finance, Parliamentarians), the private sector and civil society.

Participants are expected to have some level of work experience and knowledge of health systems and health financing.

This course will be delivered exclusively in English.

Delivery method

This course is delivered on the UICC's eLearning platform between April and July. Selected participants will need to sign up to the platform in order to access the learning material.

Content for the course is divided in modules, with each module released at regular intervals during the course timeline. In order to access the next modules, participants must have completed all previous learning steps. A certificate of completion is available to all those who complete the course within the time period, including the evaluation survey.

Each learning module may include recorded presentations and lectures, podcasts, assessments (in the form of multiple-answer quizzes), assignments and/or discussion forum activities.

UICC's Master courses generally comprise between 3 to 6 modules to be completed in a period of 3 to 4 months. Each module will  require an estimated time committment of around 2 to 3 hours to be completed.

Application

This course is free for UICC members only. Participation is capped and selection is via application. Applications are now closed.