Opening Remarks by Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean. at the WHA79 Side Event: Healthcare Financing: Bridging Traditional and Innovative[...]

20 MAY 2026

Excellencies, distinguished colleagues,

This is the right moment to bring Awqaf into mainstream health financing discussions because the context has fundamentally shifted and the pressure on health systems is intensifying.

The gap to achieve universal health coverage remains substantial estimated at US$200 to 370 billion annually.

4.5 billion people still lack access to essential health services, and out-of-pocket spending remains high around 41% in many countries.

In our Region, around 28% of people experience financial hardship due to health spending, and nearly 80% of those affected must forgo basic needs to access care.

At the same time, the financing environment is tightening. External support is becoming less predictable, while demand for health services continues to grow.

Countries are therefore increasingly seeking domestic, sustainable and socially legitimate sources of financing to advance universal health coverage.

Awqaf and other Islamic social finance instruments are highly relevant in this context. They are long-established, widely trusted, and in many countries already mobilize significant resources.

Historically, they played a central role in financing hospitals, pharmacies and public goods across the Region.

But their use in health has often remained fragmented and limited in scale.

The opportunity now is to move from charitable contributions to structured financing to channel these resources in ways that expand access, strengthen systems, and improve financial protection.

This is not about replacing public financing, but about complementarity supporting priority health functions where public resources are constrained.

Evidence and regional experience point to three high-impact operational entry points.

First, primary health care particularly in underserved and vulnerable communities.

Second, medicines and diagnostics one of the largest drivers of out-of-pocket spending.

And third, financial protection for the poor and vulnerable, complementing insurance schemes and public financing.

This, however, depends on one critical factor: integration.

Islamic finance must be embedded within national health financing strategies aligned with priorities, linked to service delivery, and supported by clear governance frameworks.

Under my leadership, WHO EMRO has been working to support this transition, focusing on five areas.

First, advocating for the integration of Awqaf and other Islamic financing modalities into mainstream health financing and UHC discussions, rather than parallel charity tracks.

Second, supporting country dialogue, bringing together ministries of health, finance, and relevant national institutions to move from concept to implementation.

Third, building the evidence and policy foundation, including analytical work, a regional technical report outlining Islamic financing models in the Region, and recent discussions in Jeddah and Riyadh to define practical pathways for implementation.

Fourth, advancing practical integration working with countries to align these instruments with national financing systems, including budgeting, purchasing and service delivery arrangements.

Fifth, institutionalizing this agenda through a Regional Health Financing Taskforce, which has identified Islamic financing as a priority area, and through the development of a technical paper and draft resolution on advancing health financing for stronger financial protection, to be presented to the Regional Committee in October 2026.

Across all of this, the priority is ensuring strong governance, transparency, and accountability so that these mechanisms deliver measurable and equitable impact.

If we get this right, Islamic financing can move from being a complementary source of support to a strategic component of sustainable health financing supporting equity, strengthening system resilience, and accelerating progress towards universal health coverage.