As part of the Global Week for Action on NCDs 2026, NCD Alliance is launching a new case series examining how Colombia, Nepal and Uganda are working to finance access to NCD medicines through primary health care.
Financing NCD Medicines in Primary Health Care: A Case Series of Colombia, Uganda, and Nepal looks at how different health systems are translating commitments on NCD financing into practical reforms, from pooled financing and benefits packages to decentralised service delivery and stronger institutional foundations.
Access to essential NCD medicines is a critical test of universal health coverage. Even where medicines are formally included in publicly financed health services, access can still be undermined by gaps in financing, procurement, supply chains and service delivery.
The three country cases reflect very different starting points and are not presented as completed success stories. Instead, they show different stages in the journey from translating NCD financing commitment into effective coverage.
Across the three cases, four cross-cutting insights emerge. First, NCD priorities become more actionable when they are converted from general political commitments into costed services, medicines and care pathways.
Second, inclusion in a benefits package is necessary but insufficient: public entitlement must be linked to financing, purchasing, procurement, supply chains, workforce and information systems.
Third, feasible policy options depend on countries’ institutional and fiscal starting points, rather than following a single financing model.
And fourth, success should ultimately be assessed in terms of effective coverage and financial protection, including whether people can access medicines continuously and without financial hardship.
The case series adds practical country experience to this year’s Global Week focus on moving from commitments to delivery, as momentum builds towards the Third International Dialogue on Sustainable Financing for NCDs and Mental Health in February 2027.