Opinion Piece Outlines 4 Steps For Governments To Mobilize Commitment, Align Stakeholders For UHC Implementation

The Lancet: Financing universal health coverage: four steps to go from aspiration to action
Amir Aman, minister of health of Ethiopia; Diane Gashumba, minister of health of Rwanda; Ira Magaziner, CEO and vice chair of the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI); and Anders Nordström, ambassador for global health at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs

“A U.N. High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) will be convened during the 74th session of the U.N. General Assembly on Sept 23, 2019. … We propose four practical steps for governments to define their pathway to UHC and align stakeholders around these reforms. First, governments should define a cost-effective package of essential health benefits available to all. … Second, governments should develop investment plans for the physical and human infrastructure needed to deliver benefits. … Third, governments should develop a national health financing system, such as insurance, to fund health service delivery. … Fourth, governments should develop multisectoral district transformation approaches to ensure macro-level policies, strategies, and resources to transform lives at the household level. … The U.N. High-Level Meeting on UHC can reaffirm and mobilize commitment to the right of all people to access quality health care regardless of their ability to pay. It is a time to take the first steps of turning an admirable aspiration into action” (9/14).

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