Launch of the EU-funded Twinning Project with the Azerbaijani State Agency on Mandatory Health Insurance (SAMHI)
EU Twinning project “Strengthening mandatory health insurance mechanisms in Azerbaijan (Phase 2)” held its launch event on 21 September 2022 in Baku.
The project is implemented by the National Health Insurance Fund of Lithuania (NHIF) in cooperation with the State Agency on Mandatory Health Insurance of Azerbaijan (SAMHI) and is technically managed by the Central Project Management Agency of Lithuania (CPMA). The project started in June 2022 and will run for 24 months.
The main goal of the project is to contribute to strengthening the resilience of the national health sector in Azerbaijan by supporting the Government of Azerbaijan in improving the quality, equality, efficiency, and accessibility of health services in line with European best practices.
The launch event took place in the newly built clinic „Yeni Klinika“. 70 participants, including the representatives of Ministries of Health of Azerbaijan and Lithuania, SAMHI, NHIF, and several Azerbaijani health sector institutions, as well as international development partners, attended the event.
The event was opened by the SAMHI Chairman Mr. Zaur ALIYEV and the Head of the Cooperation Section at the EU Delegation Mr. Victor BOJKOV.
The Project Leader and director of NHIF Mr. Gintaras KACEVICIUS and the Component Leaders from both the Member State and Beneficiary sides presented the expected results and objectives of the project.
Mr. Zaur ALIYEV and Mr. Victor BOJKOV briefed the press.
Mr. Zaur ALIYEV said:
The European Union and the State Agency on Mandatory Health Insurance of Azerbaijan maintain positive cooperative relations. In 2019 we completed the first phase of the Twinning Project implemented between 2017-2019 with EU support. I can surely say that one of the factors conditioning the successful result of the reforms is the familiarity with the practices of developed countries, and cooperation with various international organizations. It is encouraging that the European Union is one of the international organizations supporting the reforms being implemented in Azerbaijan in the health sector. I am confident that the best practices of the EU member states in this area will be further studied and applied in our country in the framework of the project”.
Mr. Victor BOJKOV said:
“Citizens’ health is a core EU priority. To achieve a high level of human health protection and quality of healthcare, a number of challenges must be overcome. One of the main challenges is sustainability. Healthcare systems must adapt to demographic changes and growing demand for care, and make the best use of innovative health technologies. Health system reforms must guarantee universal access to high-quality care and improve the efficiency and financial sustainability of the health systems. Based on a strong partnership with Azerbaijan this EU project brings the European experience in the field of health and healthcare in Azerbaijan with a particular focus on improvement of the sustainability of the healthcare system for the benefit of the citizens”.
The twinning project will support the efforts of the State Agency for Mandatory Health Insurance (SAMHI) to enhance the Mandatory Health Insurance (MHI) system to provide quality health care services for people. The EU support is structured in four directions: strengthening the legal and institutional frameworks, financial management and risk management, forecasting methods, and information technology framework.
The intense and fruitful EU-Azerbaijan cooperation for health has a history the partners are proud of. The twinning project “Support to implementation of the mandatory health insurance System in Azerbaijan”, implemented in 2017-2019 was evaluated as a “success story” and was granted continuation by the EU. Phase 2 of the project provides an opportunity to further progress in the development of a sustainable health care system in Azerbaijan, thus strengthening and deepening the political and economic relations between the EU and Azerbaijan.
