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Returning funds to the Ministry of Finance at the end of the fiscal year is the last thing any Ministry of Health wants to do. In Peru, health budget officials are rolling out a strategy to stop that from happening.
For countries wanting to strengthen health budget execution, learning about promising approaches used by others is one thing but putting them into practice is another. This blog reveals how two countries, Lao PDR and Peru, adapted promising practices and began to implement them.
![A nurse vaccinates a child at a clinic in Accra, Ghana.](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/2022-03/pic0.jpg?itok=AV2c07SO)
Late last year, health sector practitioners from eight countries met to tackle the issue head-on as participants in the Joint Learning Network Health Budget Execution Learning Exchange. They made meaningful progress.
![health worker in PPE analyzing a COVID-19 test](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/2022-03/pasteur%20%281200%20%C3%97%20643%20px%29.png?itok=MpE3DBv_)
By now, much has been written about the egregious global inequities in COVID-19 vaccine distribution. But less has been said about another inequity that holds serious implications for global health: the disparities in genomic sequencing capacities and capabilities worldwide.
![Migrant children and mothers gather with blankets and luggage in a UNICEF tent](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/2021-11/43980088880_f28654258e_k.jpg?itok=oI3CJjsR)
For countries facing a large influx of migrants, the best way to ensure that these new members of society have sustained access to essential health services is to have a long-term strategy – one that builds on existing health platforms.
![Haitian patient receives care in Hospital Ramon Matias Mella, DR. Credit European Union, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/2023-12/Haitian%20patient%20receives%20care%20in%20Hospital%20Ramon%20Matias%20Mella%2C%20DR.%20Credit%20European%20Union%2C%20licensed%20under%20CC%20BY-NC-ND%202.0.jpg?itok=D-Zi0tee)
In the Dominican Republic, the dual impact of large numbers of migrants and a health system overwhelmed by COVID-19 has meant that fewer health services are available for migrant women. LHSS is working to improve health protection for the country’s migrant women, most of whom come from Haiti.
![Bangladesh Mother and Child (Credit: David Stanley)](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/2021-11/Bangladesh%20mother%20and%20child_%20credit%20to%20David%20Stanley.jpg?itok=jceUofn3)
Poor budget execution results in inefficiencies that undermine the ability of health agencies to improve access to needed health services and improve population health. Yet billions of dollars in unexecuted health budgets are returned to treasuries every year.
![LHSS photo 5_RRT w migrants in Sincelejo, Sucre Department_cropped 2_1](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/2023-12/LHSS%20photo%205_RRT%20w%20migrants%20in%20Sincelejo%2C%20Sucre%20Department_cropped%202_1.png?itok=0c-7-Sra)
Population movement of this magnitude places huge stress on health systems in receptor countries. How can health care for migrants be financed? How can health system capacity be expanded? And how can health sector policies and national migration policies be harmonized?
![A laboratory specialist in Kazakhstan handles samples for testing in July 2020.](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/2021-07/HSRblog%20%282%29.jpg?itok=nuvOgEr3)
The events of the past 18 months underscore the importance of generally strong, equitable, and accessible health systems. COVID-19 is not the only threat we face, and as we prepare for the future it is critical that we begin to sufficiently invest in the foundational health system strengthening required to develop lasting resilience.