People with disabilities are one of society’s most excluded groups and usually have the most difficulties in accessing health, education, employment, and social security. Current policies are either not inclusive, or are still in the initial stages, and thus do not protect the rights of this group. We need rules and regulations that support us in taking action to better protect their rights. Even more importantly, we need to properly understand their needs in order to provide quality care.

Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) is a key strategic goal for the government of Zambia. In pursuit of UHC, the National Health Insurance Management Authority (NHIMA) is extending health insurance coverage to the poor and the vulnerable. This extension requires robust estimates of the cost and fiscal implications to the government, and the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

Institutions are being transformed thanks to the integration of new technologies. This vision represents a corporate change with a social impact, reducing costs, simplifying processes and procedures, and raising awareness of the importance and benefits of this transformation.

Panama’s Social Insurance Fund (Caja de Seguro Social de Panamá – CSS) has put in place operational models that use and develop new communication technologies through mobile devices to offer high-quality care to members. This is part of its vision to be a leading guarantor of social security in Panama and to ensure efficient, agile and timely management, for the benefit of Panamanian people.

During COVID-19, many members’ livelihood of the National Social Security Fund (NSSF or hereafter the Fund) of Uganda was disrupted, and Government expedite the amendment of the NSSF Act to allow the savers access 20 per cent of their saving if they reach 45 years and have saved for over ten years. This new benefit was termed Mid-Term Access.

To receive this benefit 112,000 members were eligible for the calendar year 2022
(January–December). This was going to be an uphill task given that the Fund previously paid approximately 20,000 members annually.

With a view to promoting safe and healthy working environments and ensuring that Occupational Risk Insurance Companies (Aseguradoras de Riesgos del Trabajo – ART) and Self-insured Employers (Empleadores Autoasegurados – EA) provide medical care and financial benefits in the event of occupational accidents or diseases, Argentina’s Superintendency of Occupational Risks (Superintendencia de Riesgos del Trabajo – SRT) handles a large volume of information and documents that need to be processed and analysed on a continuous basis.

The opening of a childrens’ library within the National Social Insurance Fund (Caisse nationale de prévoyance sociale – CNPS) of Cameroon aims to improve the working and living conditions of staff by creating a safe space, conducive to reading and learning, for their children. The institution sees it as part of its social responsibility. This space serves a twofold purpose: welcoming staff members’ children while their parents are still working and offering them a range of school and other books to read and consult as well as a place for schoolwork.

The institution does not have any automatic mechanism to inform it of the death of a citizen outside of the country. This is why beneficiaries living outside of the country are obliged to submit proof of life in order to avoid the suspension of their benefit payments.

In Chile, over 300,000 people currently work as deliverers for digital platforms, known as deliverys or riders. This new way of working poses new challenges related to the protection of this group of workers, as they generally operate in precarious conditions and the level of occupational risk they are exposed to is quite high.

Thanks to the use of the Single Digital Health Record (Expediente Digital Único en Salud – EDUS) in health facilities, the Social Insurance Fund of Costa Rica (Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social – CCSS) has managed to gather a wealth of highly relevant data. Using data science and data mining, this data can be transformed into information that gives valuable input for decision-making. We can use it to assess potential disease incidence, based on a reliable and timely process, which helps to identify how public budgets can be best used.