Tropical Health Matters: Universal Health Coverage — Where is Malaria?
Noting universal health coverage is the theme for this year’s World Health Day on April 7, Bill Brieger, professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, discusses universal coverage of malaria interventions, including the provision of long lasting insecticide-treated bed nets, treatment with artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACTs), and diagnostics. Brieger writes, “If malaria services are indicative of other health interventions, then universal coverage including seeking interventions, getting them, and ultimately using them is still a distant goal. To achieve universal coverage there also needs to be universal commitment by countries, donors, and technical partners” (3/31).