Devex: Opinion: Unlocking UHC via country leadership, financing, and primary health care
Muhammad Ali Pate, director of the Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents and global director of the health, nutrition, and population global practice of the World Bank

“…The first condition to achieving [universal health coverage (UHC)] is ensuring countries lead their own development and define their own priorities to address the health of their people. … The second condition to achieving UHC is that available funding — both from domestic and external sources — needs to be prioritized to first address the needs of those left furthest behind, to fund high-impact services, and to address systemic bottlenecks. … Political commitment and financing are not silver bullets. To translate into the desired impact, a rigorous focus on tracking results — and using those results to make evidence-based decisions and to course-correct — is key. … As a global community, our work must be rooted in the needs and realities of the countries we support and address the real-world constraints and challenges governments face in ensuring health for all” (9/16).