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Last updated: 03/5/2019

Fee Waiver for Health Insurance for Poor Families (financed by the Zakat Fund and the MoFNE)

Basic Information

Country
Geographic area
Sub-Saharan Africa
Programme type

Programme Details

Programme objectives

The objective of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) is to reach 100 per cent of the population. In 1996, health care insurance contributions became compulsory for those in the formal sector (those in both government and private-sector employment). The NHIF’s annual target is to increase coverage of the non-contributory population (the informal sector) by 3 per cent per year. The NIHF relies on the MoFNE and the Zakat Fund to pay the health insurance premiums of the non-compulsory population 

References
Kjellgren, A., C. Jones-Paully, H. El-Tayeb Alyn, E. Tadesse, and A. Vermehren. 2014. Sudan Social Safety Net Assessment. Washington, DC: World Bank. Accessed 27 July 2017. <http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/615961468159323676/ pdf/892300NWP0P132085275B00PUBLIC001415.pdf>
Programme components
Health insurance coverage
References
UNICEF Sudan. 2017. Personal communication.
Start date
2003
References
UNICEF Sudan. 2017. Personal communication
Previous programme name (if any)
General Authority for Health Insurance
Coverage
16,411,623 beneficiaries (43.8 per cent of the population) in 2016; for poor households: 8,787,347 beneficiaries (52 per cent of the population classified as poor) in 1,838,634 households in 2016
References
NHIF. 2017. National Health Insurance Fund Performance Report for the Year 2017. Khartoum: National Health Insurance Fund and Ministry of Health. Internal archives. In Arabic.
Programme expenditure
SDG1.41 billion; Source of funding: The NIHF relies on the MoFNE and the Zakat Fund to pay the health insurance premiums of the non-compulsory population; this constitutes ‘free’ health services
References
NHIF. 2017. National Health Insurance Fund Performance Report for the Year 2017. Khartoum: National Health Insurance Fund and Ministry of Health. Internal archives. In Arabic.

Targeting and eligiblity

Targeting methods
Means Test
Categorical Targeting
Geographical Targeting
Targeted areas
Nationwide
Target groups
Poor households
Eligibility criteria
The criteria used for defining poor households are those used by the Zakat Fund
References
Kjellgren, A., C. Jones-Paully, H. El-Tayeb Alyn, E. Tadesse, and A. Vermehren. 2014. Sudan Social Safety Net Assessment. Washington, DC: World Bank. Accessed 27 July 2017. <http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/615961468159323676/ pdf/892300NWP0P132085275B00PUBLIC001415.pdf>.

Coverage and other information

Type of benefits
Health benefits
Benefit delivery mechanism
The states all have branches of the NHIF, but each operates relatively autonomously. As a result, the states do not all offer the same kind, quality or coverage of health care. The government is considering whether to encourage community-based health insurance coverage because, if several villages were to join together to collect premiums, this would lower the administrative costs of national health insurance
References
Kjellgren, A., C. Jones-Paully, H. El-Tayeb Alyn, E. Tadesse, and A. Vermehren. 2014. Sudan Social Safety Net Assessment. Washington, DC: World Bank. Accessed 27 July 2017. <http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/615961468159323676/ pdf/892300NWP0P132085275B00PUBLIC001415.pdf>.
Minimum and maximum duration of benefits (if any)
Life-long
References
UNICEF Sudan. 2017. Personal communication.

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