WHO European Region 25d ago

Meet Marko, a 35-year-old delivery driver from Skopje, North Macedonia, whose struggle to pay for essential medicines reflects a broader challenge across the Western Balkans. For years, Marko relied on older treatments not fully suited to his condition because the more effective medicines were not included in the publicly financed benefits package. This changed in 2024. For the first time in a decade, North Macedonia expanded its list of covered medicines, adding essential treatments for high blood pressure and lipid control. The reform was driven by new evidence on financial protection produced by the WHO Barcelona Office for Health Systems Financing, which found that outpatient medicines were the main driver of catastrophic out-of-pocket payments in the country. This video tells the story behind that policy shift – how data, analysis and collaboration helped improve access to affordable medicines, protect households from financial hardship and strengthen progress towards universal health coverage. What the video covers 🔹Marko’s personal story and why affordable access to medicines matters 🔹Key findings from WHO’s assessment of financial protection in North Macedonia 🔹Insights from policymakers 🔹Key findings on financial hardship and unmet need in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo* 🔹Policy options to improve access to outpatient medicines in the Western Balkans 🔹The role of capacity development and policy dialogue in supporting health systems to move towards universal health coverage Between 2021 and 2025, the WHO Barcelona Office – funded by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enlargement and the Eastern Neighbourhood (DG ENEST) – generated new evidence, developed capacity and trained and facilitated policy dialogue with over 200 experts and policymakers in the Western Balkans. Visit UHC Watch – an online platform tracking affordable access to health care in Europe and Central Asia – to explore country-level and comparative data and analysis for over 45 countries and areas: https://apps.who.int/dhis2/uhcwatch/ *All references to Kosovo in this document should be understood to be in the context of the United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).