Financing and allocating resources for NCD prevention and control

Health financing is a core function of a health system. In addition to making decisions on investing in health and healthcare, governments also have to consider spending in other areas (e.g. social protection, education, housing, defence and transport). While there will always be trade-offs in government spending across sectors, this does not mean that public finance is a zero-sum game, e.g. spending on education can lead to greater health literacy and public investment in green spaces can promote physical activity. This chapter describes the core functions of health financing and ways that countries can raise revenue for healthcare, describing those that are more and those that are less regressive/equitable (a system being regressive when the poor contribute proportionately more, relative to their income). The chapter highlights the increasing challenge for NCD prevention and control, given the increasing needs of the increasing and aging populations worldwide and the frequent need for long-term treatment for NCDs. The chapter explains that while there is no one perfect financing model for all countries, there are a number of desirable attributes of efficient health financing systems. The chapter also highlights specific challenges for low- and middle-income countries in financing NCD prevention and control, including the role of development assistance funding.