Sustainable health financing is crucial to achieving key goals such as Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For countries to make consistent progress in implementing this agenda, it is essential to understand clearly and systematically how resources flow within the health system. In Angola, this process is conducted through the National Health Accounts (NHA), which follow the internationally recognized System of Health Accounts framework.

The NHA provides a detailed overview of who finances, who provides, and who consumes health services. In its methodology, the NHA includes information on how various actors participate in health financing, namely the government, public and private insurers, the private health sector, families, and cooperation and development partners. It is an essential tool for ensuring greater efficiency, transparency, and shared accountability in health sector financing. “With solid data on health financing, policymakers can identify gaps, plan more accurately, and ensure that resources reach those who need them most,” said Victor Luteganya, Data Manager for the World Health Organization (WHO) in Angola.

Despite progress in strengthening the national health system, Angola does not yet have a fully institutionalized system of National Health Accounts. To address this challenge, WHO is supporting the Ministry of Health with a workshop co-financed by the European Union, aimed at training the national technical team with the goal of laying the foundations for a regular data collection and analysis process that will provide the country with reliable information on how health services are financed, delivered, and consumed.

The two-week training course, which brings together representatives from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Finance, the National Statistics Institute, and other national institutions, as well as various development partners, focuses on a practical and interactive methodology. “It's not just about learning technical concepts,” explained Dr. Adelino Libongue, coordinator of the activity on behalf of the Ministry of Health. “We are building national capacity that will enable Angola to better plan and protect investments in health.”

The next steps involve the formal creation of a National Technical Group for the NHA, with a clear mandate, which can lead to the implementation of a detailed work plan and conduct data collection at the national level, analyze it, and produce the National Health Accounts report for recent years. 

With this initiative, Angola is taking another step towards strengthening governance in the health sector, ensuring that financial decisions on public policy are based on robust evidence and aligned with global commitments to financial protection and equity in access to health services for the health and well-being of all.