International Universal Health Coverage Day 2019: How's the world doing?
Universal Health Coverage is a global commitment to ensure everyone, everywhere gets access to quality essential health-care services by 2030, without facing financial hardship.
- Country:
- India
Every year, the world celebrates December 12 as the International Universal Health Coverage Day to raise awareness of the need for affordable and quality healthcare services for all, irrespective of the geographic location, gender, religion or financial status. The day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 12 December 2017 to track progress and accelerate efforts to deliver Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030.
The theme for the UHC Day 2019 campaign is "Keep the promise" that calls on global leaders, civil society, international organizations, and other stakeholders to continue the fight for UHC and keep their promise of health for all.
What is Universal Health Coverage?
Universal Health Coverage is a goal undertaken by the United Nations to ensure everyone, everywhere gets access to quality essential health-care services by 2030, without facing financial hardship. It is based on the 1948 WHO Constitution that recognizes health as a fundamental human right and commits to ensuring the highest attainable level of health for all.
UHC seeks to achieve three key objectives:
- Equity in access to health services: everyone who needs services should get them, not only those who can pay for them
- Quality healthcare: the quality of health services should be good enough to improve the health of those receiving services; and
- No financial hardship: people should be protected against financial-risk, ensuring that the cost of using services does not put people at risk of financial harm
While more people are accessing essential health services than ever before, far too many still miss out. It is unacceptable and unjust that half of the world’s population still lacks access to these essential services and 100 million people are driven into extreme poverty every year due to healthcare costs. Universal health coverage is integral to delivering the Sustainable Development Goals, our blueprint of a better future for people and planet. On this International Day, let us reaffirm our commitment to health for all as an investment in humanity, wellbeing and prosperity for everyone.
UHC: Global progress
Today, approximately half of the world lacks access to essential health services they need. According to the Universal Health Coverage Global Monitoring Report 2019, the pace of UHC progress is slow since 2010 and if the trend continues, by 2030, only 39 percent- 63 percent of the global population would get access to essential healthcare services. Women and children, particularly in low- and middle-income countries tend to suffer from lower coverage.
Video Credit: YouTube / World Health Organization
The report prepared by the World Health Organization (WHO) with contributions from the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Population Fund, and UNICEF calls on governments around the world to invest an additional 1 percent of their gross domestic product for primary health care.
UHC is included in the Sustainable Development Goal 3 that seeks to ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all by 2030. No government or organization can achieve this goal alone, it needs accelerated efforts and commitment from individuals, civil society, academia, policy-makers, and other stakeholders.
Countries that invest in universal health coverage can:🔺Improve life & health expectancy🔻Reduce poverty & create jobs📈Drive economic growth⚧️ Improve gender equality☂️protect against epidemics#HealthForAll #UHC2030 pic.twitter.com/v7tABqFk70
— World Health Organization Western Pacific (@WHOWPRO) December 11, 2019
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