PASS (Programme d’Appui aux Stratégies mutualistes de Santé – Support Programme for Mutual Health Insurance Strategies) is an initiative of MGEN, one of the founder members of the Network, and other French health mutuals. Based in Ivory Coast, the work of PASS reinforces that of the Education and Solidarity Network and is aimed at extending solidarity-based social protection to the peoples of the WAEMU (West African Economic and Monetary Union) notably on the mutual society project for education workers in Burkina Faso.
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
After four months of preparation, PASS is now active, with a range of activities that will provide support for initiatives by decision-makers in the WAEMU zone (heads of mutual health insurance societies, of social protection organisations, the public authorities, sub-regional structures) in the following fields:
- The creation and development of mutual health insurances societies
- Structuring the movement in every country and at the sub-regional level
- Advocacy, awareness-raising and communications
- The development of tools to manage welfare payments and to manage the provision of health care by the mutual health insurance societies
Entirely dedicated to mutual health insurance societies, which are considered an effective tool for expanding health cover, PASS works to strengthen these so that they can play a leading role in the design of health protection strategies. Consequently PASS aims to become fully integrated into the work and the thinking of the agents of social protection in Africa, for the implementation and development of universal health cover.
The programme supports the Union Africaine de la Mutualité (UAM) (African Union of Mutuality) and its West African Regional Office, which relies on its help for carrying out its strategic guidelines. It also supports the WAEMU. It carried out its first activities in Burkina Faso and Senegal. In Côte d’Ivoire PASS provides support notably for the Mutuelles Sociales de Côte d’Ivoire, MUGEF-CI (a leader in its field), MARBICI, MUTREPCI and SOMUREPCI.
PASS aims through its activities to be a useful partner in this field, working effectively to improve the living conditions of the peoples of Africa, promoting human dignity and social equality.
For further information contact PASS at + 225 20 25 74 96 or go to the website www.pass-mut.org.
