Universal health
coverage (UHC) means that all individuals and communities receive the health
services they need without suffering financial hardship. It includes the full
spectrum of essential, quality health services, from health promotion to
prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care. However, UHC does
not mean free coverage for all possible health interventions, regardless of the
cost, as no country can provide all services free of charge on a sustainable
basis.
UHC enables everyone
to access the services that address the most significant causes of disease and
death, and ensures that the quality of those services is good enough to improve
the health of the people who receive them.
Key messages from the
World Health Organization (WHO) for World Health Day 2019 are:
· Health is a human right;
it’s time for health for all.
· We know universal
health coverage is possible, let’s make it happen!
· At least half of the
people in the world do not receive the health services they need.
· About 100 million
people are pushed into extreme poverty each year because of out-of-pocket
spending on health.
· But who are these
people and how can we help them? To get a better picture of who is missing out,
we need data that is broken down by gender, age, income, location, education
and other factors that affect access to health services.
· Health is a human
right; everyone should have the information and services they need to take care
of their own health and the health of their families.
· Quality, accessible primary
health care is the foundation for universal health coverage.
· Unsafe and low-quality
health care ruins lives and costs the world trillions of dollars every year, we
must do more to improve the quality and safety of health services globally.
· Primary health care
should be the first level of contact with the health system, where individuals,
families and communities receive most of their health care—from promotion and
prevention to treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care—as close as
possible to where they live and work.
· At its heart, primary
health care is about caring for people and helping them improve their health or
maintain their well-being, rather than just treating a single disease or
condition.
· Primary health care
covers the majority of your health needs throughout your life including
services such as screening for health problems, vaccines, information on how to
prevent disease, family planning, treatment for long- and short-term
conditions, coordination with other levels of care, and rehabilitation.
· Primary health care is
a cost-effective and equitable way of delivering health services and helping
countries make progress towards universal health coverage.
· A health system with
strong primary health care delivers better health outcomes, is cost-efficient
and improves quality of care.
· Health workers have a
crucial role to play educating patients on how to take care of their health,
coordinating care and advocating for their patients’ needs to health facility
managers and policy-makers.
· Primary health-care
workers have a continuing and trusted relationship with their patients and know
their health history; knowing the full picture helps improve their care and
saves money.
· Primary health-care
workers know the traditions, cultures and practices of their communities,
making them indispensable during an outbreak or emergency.
· To make health for all
a reality, we need: individuals and communities who have access to high quality
health services so that they take care of their own health and the health of
their families; skilled health workers providing quality, people-centred care;
and policy-makers committed to investing in primary health care.
(Source: World Health
Organization)
Read our previous stories
on “universal health coverage”:
Health should be one
of the topmost priorities for the government
And now reservation
for economically weak sections in the general category
Why universal medical
insurance is on the way
Universal health
coverage: As I understand it
Universal healthcare
for all
Will increasing the
custom duty on medical devices promote indigenous production?
Ayushman Bharat to
roll out today across the country
Affordability or quality
of service? Choose both
Dr KK Aggarwal
Padma Shri Awardee
President Elect Confederation of
Medical Associations in Asia and Oceania
(CMAAO)
Group
Editor-in-Chief IJCP Publications
President Heart
Care Foundation of India
Past National President
IMA
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