Project Syndicate: How Developing Countries Can Achieve Universal Health Coverage
Jörg Reinhardt, chair of the Board of Directors for Novartis

“Virtually every country worldwide has committed to achieving universal health coverage (UHC) by 2030, as part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. But some countries are progressing much faster than others in delivering equitable access not only to health services, but also to affordable medicines and vaccines. Among those leading the pack is Vietnam. … The key to its success is not the scale of investment in health care, … but rather how the government uses its resources, including the country’s intellectual capital. … Vietnam’s progress toward UHC has been remarkable, thanks partly to the government’s embrace of strategic public-private partnerships. For countries that have struggled to move forward, this model — and approaches from other high performers in the race for UHC, such as Indonesia, Rwanda, and Thailand — may be worth embracing” (6/24).