Social Health Protection - Addressing inequities in access to health care
Social Health Protection - Addressing inequities in access to health care
17 March–18 April 2025
Key features
Learn from international social health protection experts online and face-to-face.
Advanced learning experience to further strengthen your competencies.
Move closer to obtaining the Diploma for Social Protection Managers.
Introduction to the course
Introduction to the course The right to social health protection is not yet a universal reality. Despite laudable progress during the COVID-19 pandemic, coverage has stalled since 2020, highlighting important implementation gaps. This advanced blended course focuses on addressing inequities in access to health care within the context of national social health protection systems, including floors. It offers a comprehensive exploration of social health protection and its role in achieving universal health coverage (UHC) and universal social protection (USP) within the framework of the 2030 Agenda. This course is specifically designed for practitioners who have significant prior knowledge and experience in developing and managing social health protection schemes. Please note that a foundation course in social health protection is also offered in a fully online modality for a less advanced audience.
Who attends this course?
This blended course provides an advanced learning experience in social health protection and is designed for practitioners who have prior knowledge and experience in developing and managing social health protection schemes. This advanced track is designed for:
- Executives, managers, planners, financial officers and other professionals responsible for working in social health protection schemes (whether contributory or non-contributory), in both governmental and non-governmental sectors.
- Representatives of employers ' and workers ' organizations who sit on the board of social health insurance institutions are also welcome.
- Social health protection practitioners and policymakers directly involved in the oversight of social health protection systems.
- Individuals working in research roles on social health protection and health financing can also benefit from participating in this training activity.
What will I learn?
- Explore the synergies between social determinants of health and social health protection.
- Understand the scope and the significance of the financing gap for social protection (SDG 1.3) and health (SDG 3.8).
- Understand the essential dimension of human resources in health and the implications for social health protection.
- Frame national social health protection strategies and programmes in international normative frameworks.
- Understand the rationale for health and wellbeing of sickness and maternity benefits while looking at the implications of various financing mechanisms on the coverage and adequacy of the benefits.
- Analyse and compare different models for revenue collection with practical examples and case studies.
- Assess different approaches and technical options for extending coverage – especially to informal workers and migrants and refugees – and broadening risk pooling.
- Learn how to enhance the formulation of benefit packages – selecting a range of health interventions and cost coverage.
- Assess the different approaches to purchasing health services in the context of social health protection schemes.
- Understand the importance of robust governance, management and administration of social health protection programmes to leverage the resources and structures offered by broader social protection and health systems.
- Identify the latest trends and the important role of emerging technologies in social health protection.
- In-depth, face-to-face participatory workshops on coverage extension, monitoring health insurance and actuarial modeling for health will be offered as part of this more advanced course.
Why should I join?
- Join a global network of social protection and health professionals to share learning and best practices.
- Combine online learning, supported by a highly interactive digital learning environment hosted on the ITCILO’s eCampus, with dynamic and engaging face-to-face training at ITC-ILO Turin where you will have the opportunity of further deepening your knowledge through a series of advanced technical sessions and workshops.
- Successful participants receive an ITCILO Certificate of Achievement eligible for obtaining the Diploma for Social Protection Managers.
How
The course is offered in a blended modality (online and face-to-face) from 17 March to 18 April 2025 for an estimated 60 learning hours, including a week of in-person training at ITC-ILO in Turin from April 7 to 11. The course is delivered in both English and French, with the aid of interpretation for some live sessions.
Prove your skills with a Diploma
This course is part of a Diploma programme. To achieve the Diploma, successful candidates must complete four courses within a five-year period and undertake a capstone assessment.
