​Final Presentation Delivered at Regional Workshop on Health Financing Reforms

Mahmoud AbuAwad, a graduate student and member of the research group, delivered the final presentation at a regional workshop on Health Financing Reforms, representing five countries from the Middle East. The session focused on the design of Health Benefit Packages (HBPs), approached from a health financing and fiscal sustainability perspective, rather than viewing benefit packages solely as lists of services.

The presentation addressed a central policy question:
Can the expansion of health benefits be achieved while maintaining fiscal sustainability?

The discussion brought together comparative experiences from Jordan, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Egypt. Participants emphasized that the sustainability of health benefit packages depends not only on service prioritization, but also on the strength of health financing arrangements, effective risk pooling mechanisms, and the overall system design.

The workshop provided a valuable platform for regional knowledge exchange and in-depth dialogue on the political economy of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), highlighting shared challenges and strategic pathways for achieving sustainable health system reforms across the region.​