Supporting health planning and budgeting

National health policies, strategies and plans lay out the context, vision, objectives and spending priorities for health within the country's broader development context. They play a particularly pivotal role in settings where external funds are used to help finance health systems. The way in which health plans are translated into the budgeting process is important as public funds are essential for universal health coverage (UHC). Budget allocation and execution rules and practices are crucial to supporting progress towards that goal. Specifically, the way budget is presented and organized determines how resources flow to and reflect sector priorities.

WHO provides technical guidance on the development and implementation of national health planning and policies, their link to the budgeting process, and both why and how to improve the effectiveness of budgeting reforms in the health sector.