Between May 27 and 30, 2025, São Paulo hosted an engaging four-day workshop for the “Health Financing Fragmentation and Universal Health Coverage” project, bringing together partners from Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, India, and the United Kingdom. The workshop was organized by IEPS, aiming to discuss future research directions, cross-country collaboration, capacity-strengthening activities, and policy engagement strategies.

Connecting Countries and Contexts

The workshop opened on the afternoon of the 27th with a warm welcome from IEPS and project leads, setting the tone for a collaborative session on project updates and a clear view of progress across the four countries. The first session covered not only the feedback received by the project’s External Advisory Board and budget discussion for the final 15 months, but also highlighted local CEI & dissemination strategies, reinforcing the researchers’ commitment to co-production, ensuring that research questions and findings are deeply relevant to the communities and systems they aim to serve.

Measuring and Mapping Fragmentation: Cases and Consequences

Starting on Day 2, the workshop relocated to a picturesque eco-resort in Ubatuba, along São Paulo’s green coast, facilitating deeper discussions away from urban distractions. Day two focused on refining key working papers, with a conceptual brainstorming session on Work Package 1, refining the frameworks and final deliverables, followed by a discussion session on Work Package 2.

On the third day, detailed discussions centered around country-specific working papers, including insightful case studies from India and Mexico, including the impact of cash transfers on health in Pakistan and the effects of health expenditure fragmentation in Mexico. Early-career researchers also showcased their work, addressing topics such as healthcare expenditures, mergers in Brazil’s private healthcare market, and political transitions affecting health outcomes. In the afternoon, case studies from Brazil and Colombia were presented, notably on financial incentives in Brazilian municipalities and healthcare fragmentation impacts in Bogotá.

Senior researchers concluded the day’s presentations, highlighting findings on health plan terminations, emergency-care services in Brazil, and socioeconomic inequalities in infant mortality in Colombia. The day ended with a vibrant tropical luau, fostering informal networking and deeper collaborative bonds. The final day provided forward-looking discussions, addressing political economy drivers and exploring new research avenues and funding opportunities.

We would like to thank our partners for their participation and fruitful discussions!