The World Health Organization‘s Drive for Universal Health Coverage in Egypt and Morocco

While the World Health Organization’s (WHO) role in global health is well-documented, there is a notable gap in research regarding its influence on domestic health policy in Lower-Middle Income Countries (LMICs). This paper, therefore, explores the WHO’s impact on advancing the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region given its heterogeneity in regard to income levels and social policies’ development. Specifically, it examines the degree of alignment between the WHO’s recommendations and the health reforms implemented in Egypt and Morocco from 2010 to 2022, a timeframe shaped by major regional and global shifts, including the Arab Spring and the WHO’s expanding UHC agenda. The findings uncover a medium degree of alignment with WHO recommendations in both countries, despite their distinct socio-economic and political profiles. However, the study shows variations in how these countries tackled key UHC dimensions—social coverage, service expansion, financial protection, in addition to health system strengthening. Understanding this variability is crucial for assessing the effectiveness of WHO’s influence on national health policies besides highlighting the diverse paths LMICs take in striving for UHC.