Power, Politics and Fiscal Sovereignty: What is the Way Forward for LMIC Health Systems?
A panel discussion in the Transforming Health Systems: Conversations That Matter series.
Power, Politics and Fiscal Sovereignty: What is the Way Forward for LMIC Health Systems?
08 Jun 2026, 16:30 – 18:00
Event Details
Date: Monday 8 June 2026
Time: 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM BST
Venue: Lecture Theatre (Room 118), Marshgate Building, UCL East, London
Format: Hybrid: attend in-person at UCL East or join online
Registration: Free - places are limited to attend in-person and are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis
About This Event
Join us at UCL East for the sixth dialogue in the Transforming Health Systems: Conversations that Matter series, convened by the UCL Centre for Global Health Systems and Policy at the UCL Global Business School for Health.
This session, organised through the Collaborative Learning Network (CLN) on Health Financing and Fiscal Sovereignty in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, brings together researchers, practitioners, and policy leaders to reflect on some of the most pressing questions facing health systems today.
Across many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the volatility and retreat of Development Assistance for Health have posed deeper structural questions about health financing, governance, accountability, and sustainability. These shifts, intensified by recent geopolitical restructuring and aid retrenchment, are reshaping how health systems are financed and governed, as well as how health is prioritised within broader national fiscal and political agendas.
Rather than prescribing solutions, this dialogue creates space for a critical and grounded conversation around the political and fiscal realities shaping health systems reform, including whose priorities shape decision-making, resource allocation, and reform agendas; how trade-offs between equity, affordability, and sustainability might be negotiated; and what fiscal sovereignty might mean in practice for LMIC health systems.
The discussion will feature a panel of experts from across policy, practice, and research, followed by audience Q&A and open discussion. A short networking reception with refreshments will follow the session.
The event is free and open to all with an interest in health systems, health policy, and health equity.
Moderators
- Professor Neha Batura | Professor of Economics, UCL, GBSH; Co-Director of UCL Centre for Global Health Systems and Policy; and Co-Director of the UCL Health Economics Policy Lab
Speakers
Online
- Joe Kutzin | Senior Health Financing Advisor and former Head of Health Financing Policy, WHO
- Dr Zubin Shroff | Technical Officer, Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, WHO
- Professor Juliet Nabyonga-Orem | Health Systems Advisor, WHO Namibia Office
In-Person
- Dr Sumit Mazumdar | Senior Research Fellow in Global Health Economics, Centre for Health Economics, University of York
- Professor Mishal Khan | Professor of Global Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
- Zil Audi-Poquillon | PhD Candidate (Health Policy & Health Economics), London School of Economics, Department of Health Policy
Additional speakers will be confirmed shortly.
Co-Convenors
- Dr Hintsa Gebreagziabhear Gebremariam | Impact Fellow, UCL Global Business School for Health; Co-Convenor, CLN on Health Financing and Fiscal Sovereignty in LMICs
- Dr Catherine Etseoghena Khanoba | Impact Fellow, UCL Global Business School for Health; Co-Convenor, CLN on Health Financing and Fiscal Sovereignty in LMICs
- Dr Chiara Berardi | Lecturer in Health Systems and Policy, UCL, GBSH
- Dr Joe Collins | Lecturer in Health Systems and Policy, UCL, GBSH
About the Series
Transforming Health Systems: Conversations that Matter is a series of dialogues convened by the UCL Centre for Global Health Systems and Policy. Health systems around the world are undergoing rapid and profound change – shaped by urbanisation, the growing reach of private commerce, and the accelerating impact of digital and AI technologies. These conversations bring together global experts, health leaders, and frontline practitioners to explore how to innovate and manage change amidst complex realities.
Sessions are publicly broadcast, recorded, and archived.
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