Our latest issue of Devlop' is now available. It shines a spotlight on community health mutuals and the efforts of countless grassroots organisations to improve access to healthcare.

In the 1820s, Belgian workers established the first forms of mutual health societies. Together, they organised themselves to provide financial support for their injured or sick colleagues and ensure their families were not left destitute. Gradually, the state began to support this organised solidarity. But it was a long struggle. It was not until 1945 that health insurance was made compulsory for all Belgians, making the mutual insurance system truly viable.

This brief history reminds us that access to healthcare is a right that has been hard-won in Belgium. Today, this right remains out of reach for the vast majority of Africans (around 80%). There are health insurance schemes, often linked to a profession or intended for civil servants in the formal sector. But for those who depend on the informal sector, such as farmers, market traders and craftspeople, there is nothing.

Nothing means exorbitant healthcare costs, going into debt to pay a bill, and no support in the event of catastrophic healthcare expenditure, driving families into extreme poverty and leaving the healthcare system fragile due to a lack of funding.

So, solidarity is organised, amongst other things, through community health mutuals, to which members contribute in order to access quality healthcare, thereby reducing the risk of falling into debt in the event of illness. These are based on participatory management and the pooling of risks.

Every day, our teams, the mutual health societies and their federations work tirelessly to keep this system going, with the aim of expanding it and ensuring protection for the entire population. For the past 20 years, the Independent Mutual Health Societies have joined us and have been putting their expertise at the service of this cause.

It is not just about making healthcare affordable; together with our partners, we are also working on prevention by informing communities about diseases and how to protect themselves against them.

This fight for access to healthcare is a long one, but oh so essential. For how can one improve their living conditions if a simple illness can destroy everything? Education, sustainable agriculture and food, entrepreneurship… Without health, our other battles lose their meaning.

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