This year's Universal Health Coverage (UHC) day theme is "Health for all: Time for action," highlighting the necessity of taking urgent action to build a better society. This year's UHC day is focused on three main objectives: Recognizing and celebrating the progress made toward UHC; increasing public and civil society understanding of the significance of UHC for societal and economic well-being; and enabling them to actively engage policymakers in fulfilling their UHC commitments. Now is the time to take decisive action.
Universal health coverage (UHC) is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as guaranteeing that no one has financial difficulty in accessing the health care they require. It covers the whole range of vital, high-quality healthcare services, such as palliative care, prevention, treatment, and promotion of health. UHC wants to make sure that no one is unable to afford health care and that they may get it whenever and wherever they need it.
Acceleration towards UHC is required amid a period of major global turmoil with increasing pressures and demands on health systems, according to Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO Regional Director for Southeast Asia. Health systems throughout the region are facing increasing demands due to the Covid-19 pandemic, ongoing global conflicts, related economic challenges, epidemiological and demographic shifts, intensifying climate crises, rising frequency of new and novel pathogens, rapid urbanization, the need to integrate previously siloed programs and approaches, and rising population expectations.
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) helps nations reduce social exclusion and inequality, promotes inclusive and effective health governance, and develops robust and sustainable health systems to help achieve UHC. To achieve UHC, UNDP works with a variety of partners in the development sector, such as governments, philanthropists, universities, UN agencies, civil society, the commercial sector, and multilateral and bilateral funders.
Large-scale health program implementation at UHC requires focused support, which includes bolstering national health-related policies and programs, risk and financial management, sustainable medicine and health product procurement, monitoring and evaluating, participation from civil society, and capacity building. To achieve the goal of truly universal healthcare coverage and access, "last mile" service delivery must be strengthened. This entails making certain that healthcare services are accessible to all populations, particularly underserved ones, via community involvement and efficient platforms.
To accomplish universal health coverage, improve pandemic preparedness, and fortify current infectious disease surveillance systems, G20 leaders have vowed to create more robust, equitable, sustainable, and inclusive health systems. The leaders emphasized in their joint declaration that, ideally, within the next two to three years, primary healthcare, the health workforce, and vital health services should be strengthened to better-than-pre-pandemic levels.
As stated by WHO, the global effort to achieve universal health care by 2030 is not on pace. Since 2015, progress in expanding access to health services has stalled, and since 2000, the share of the population that had to pay catastrophic amounts out of pocket for medical care has risen steadily. Most countries from all regions of the world follow this pattern. According to Wisevoter, only 72 nations have universal healthcare, with scores ranging from 43 to 89 on the Universal Healthcare Index.
The goal of UHC in first-world nations frequently centres on improving current healthcare systems rather than creating new ones from the ground up. It entails continuous policy adjustments, healthcare reforms, technology integration, and a focus on public health and preventative care. Often, the emphasis is on streamlining current processes to guarantee universal access to equitable, high-quality healthcare for all citizens.
Third-world countries facing UHC have more distinct obstacles, including little resources, inadequate infrastructure, health disparities, disease burden, maternal and child health, absence of health insurance, and weak health systems. Third-world nations frequently need international aid in the healthcare infrastructure for solutions catered to their particular needs and contexts.
To lessen the difficulties associated with UHC in third-world countries, first-world nations and international organizations make contributions through financial aid and investment, technical assistance and capacity building, research and development, healthcare programs and partnerships, humanitarian aid and disaster response, advocacy and policy support, and supporting UHC goals. These efforts, which seek to build long-lasting improvements in healthcare infrastructure, service delivery, and access to basic health services for all facets of the population, are crucial in tackling the problems associated with healthcare in developing countries.
WHO advises shifting the health systems' focus to primary care. It concentrates on providing technical support to establish national institutions and service delivery to close vital gaps in emergencies in nations with weak health systems. Along with that, it advances public health impact toward health coverage for all in countries with stronger health systems by promoting policy debate for future systems and providing strategic support to enhance performance.
UHC is anticipated to be a reality in the near future.
Md Jahedul Islam is a Senior Research Assistant, BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health.
