Health insurance plays a crucial role in providing affordable healthcare services for citizens, especially for those low-income citizens, by minimizing the financial burden of out-of-pocket expenditures and promoting overall well-being. As part of this effort, in recent years, health insurance has gained increased attention in Ethiopia as a key mechanism for improving healthcare accessibility and fairness.
The government launched Community-Based Health Insurance (CBHI) in 2011, with a target to expand healthcare services across numerous Woredas and reach millions of citizens, primarily in rural areas and those people engaged in the informal sector. In turn, this initiative has significantly contributed to strengthening the country’s health system by expanding healthcare access.
Furthermore, the country has also introduced Social Health Insurance (SHI) to serve individuals in the formal sectors of the economy. Accordingly, since its introduction, the program has grown significantly, reaching millions. Since the introduction of the initiatives, both programs have shown substantial growth, reaching millions of people.
Most recently, Deputy Prime Minister Temesgen Tiruneh pronounced the encouraging success achieved in Food, Nutrition and Community-Based Health Insurance Service.
In his opening remarks at a performance review forum held in Addis Ababa, centering on the implementation of the Community Health Insurance Service, the Seqota Declaration, and the National Food and Nutrition Strategy during the just concluded Ethiopia’s budget year. According to him, the success achieved in all programs lies in the unwavering and consistent commitment of the leadership at all levels and the meaningful participation of the community.
The Seqota Declaration, which was devised to tackle nutritional challenges and strengthen the food system, is based on indigenous practices, he said mentioning instances such as the corridor development projects launched in both urban and rural areas, the Bounty of the Basket initiative, and efforts to create a clean environment that can raise community awareness, boost productivity and efficiency, and improve livelihoods.
According to him, the implementation of local innovations in Woredas and Kebeles through identifying nutrition problems has made a key contribution to the achievements gained, he affirmed.
He also emphasized the importance of scaling up these initiatives to support sustainable national development. The Deputy Prime Minister also appreciated the success of the Community Health Insurance program, which aims at expanding equitable access to healthcare, and has benefited over 63 million people during the fiscal year, marking a significant achievement.
The implementation of the Seqota Declaration has reached a critical stage, he said stating that the expansion phase will be completed next year and stressing the need to carry out the transition to the next 5-year expansion phase based on the 15-year roadmap.
According to the Deputy Minister, the goals set out in the Food and Nutrition Strategy and Seqota Declaration can be achieved by creating community-based mobilizations and by making part of the solutions to the problem, he said, adding that in this regard, the implementation of the expansion phase of the Seqota Declaration are being carried out by engaging the people with sense of ownership.
He also underscored the need to identify approaches that can bring about change at the household level and to promote effective innovations. In the health sector, a community-based health insurance program is being implemented to achieve the goal of universal health coverage and quality health services are accessible to all citizens in an equitable manner, he added.
He emphasized the need to further consolidate institutional and community contributions to accelerate the implementation of the Food and Nutrition Strategy and the Seqota Declaration.
Health Minister Mekdes Daba (MD) also announced that over 63 million citizens benefited from the Community-Based Health Insurance services during the 2017 Ethiopian fiscal year, marking significant progress in the nation’s efforts to expand access to healthcare and ensure broader access to healthcare.
According to Mekdes (MD), improving the nutritional status of children under the age of two is vital to building a healthy and productive generation, which in turn supports the national objective of developing productive citizens who can thrive academically. Aligned with this goal, the 10-year Food and Nutrition Strategy and the Seqota Declaration, both are devised with the aim to sustainably the nutritional status of all Ethiopians and eliminate stunting among children under two by 2030 have made significant progress over the past four years.
While talking about the progress regarding the Seqota Declaration, Mekdes (MD) stated that the Seqota Declaration is being implemented accordingly. As a result, stated that more than 1.4 million pregnant and lactating mothers and more than 1.2 million children have benefited during the fiscal year. Furthermore, preparations are ongoing to expand the program to 520 Woredas in the upcoming Ethiopian budget year, with the goal of eliminating malnutrition by 2022 in the Ethiopian Calendar. However, to achieving zero stunting, cross-sectoral cooperation is crucial, she said.
Mekdes (MD) also pointed to national initiatives such as Green Legacy as key drivers in strengthening the country’s nutrition system and achieving broader health objectives.
Mentioning that nationwide health service coverage has exceeded 95 percent, supported by continuous efforts to build a resilient health infrastructure, the Minister said that the Health Insurance Strategy is being implemented across the country to enable citizens who cannot afford medical care.
The Community Health Insurance program now operates in 1,195 Woredas, covering 63 million people, a milestone achievement Minister Mekdes attributed to the successful implementation of an income-based payment system in all regions.
On July 15, 2015, Ethiopia’s government launched a major fifteen-year initiative aimed at eliminating child malnutrition by 2030, emphasizing the critical role of nutrition in driving economic growth. Known as the Seqota Declaration (SD), this commitment is being carried out through a coordinated, multi-sectoral effort involving Nine Ministries: Health, agriculture, education, water, irrigation and energy, women, children and youth, transport and logistics, finance, labor and skills, and culture and tourism.
At the forum, including regional presidents and vice presidents, ministries, and stakeholders participated. A direction was also set to sustain the achievements gained in the concluded year in the upcoming budget year by addressing identified gaps to promote sustainable national growth.
BY STAFF REPORTER
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD TUESDAY 8 JULY 2025
