Involve govt departments, non-govt organisations in efforts to achieve universal health coverage: Vardhan

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday pitched for making concerted efforts involving all ministries and departments at the national and state levels and non-governmental organisations to achieve universal health coverage. At a Universal Health Coverage Day event organised by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Vardhan conferred awards on best performing primary healthcare teams of states and union territories.

Vardhan congratulated the award winners and appreciated their dedication and hard work towards expanding the universal health coverage to various parts of the country. Speaking at the event, Vardhan said that as "we aspire to move speedily towards UHC, we must strengthen the preventive, promotive and positive health concepts".

He also said some radical new changes and innovations needed to be done to achieve health for all, and health in all. "Let us involve all government ministries/departments at the Centre and in states, along with the non-state actors and organisations/institutions to engage them into the health agenda in a constructive, smart and intelligent manner," he said.

"Since health is a multi-sectoral, multi-dimensional, layered, and a complex sector, we need multiple partners for achieving the agenda of 'Health For All'," he added. Universal Health Coverage aims that "all people have access to needed promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative health services, of sufficient quality to be effective, while also ensuring that people do not suffer financial hardship when paying for these services".

In December 2012, the United Nations passed a landmark resolution endorsing universal health coverage. In September 2015, the achievement of UHC was enshrined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a key target to be reached by 2030.

UHC Day, first commemorated on December 12, 2014, marked the anniversary of the landmark UN resolution. In 2017, Dec 12 was officially designated as International Universal Health Coverage Day by the United Nations.

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