Devex: Opinion: Want to deliver on the promises of UHC? Invest in girls’ and women’s health and rights
Katja Iversen, president and CEO of Women Deliver, and Michael Myers, managing director of the Rockefeller Foundation

“…[W]ithout an intentional, relentless commitment to gender equality, even well-meaning plans to advance [universal health coverage (UHC)] — the goal of reaching everyone with quality, affordable health services — can leave girls and women behind. … Every step of the way, leaders’ choices should reflect how girls and women seek, experience, and pay for health care. 1. Invest in primary health care … 2. Cut out-of-pocket health care costs, especially for sexual and reproductive health services … 3. Ensure gender parity in political participation … 4. Collect, analyze, and use gender and age disaggregated data. … With their health and rights intact, especially from a young age, girls and women will unleash a tidal wave of progress, resulting in healthier families, stronger economies, and nations that lift up all of their citizens. … [G]irls’ and women’s health and rights are more than a measure for progress on UHC. They are a prerequisite” (10/9).