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UHC Day 2024 Theme: Health: it’s on the government!
Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day 2024 focuses on the role of financial protection in accelerating progress towards UHC. Financial protection ensures that people don’t fall into poverty because of having to pay out-of-pocket for health costs. Over the last 20 years, financial protection has progressively deteriorated, with 2 billion people experiencing financial hardship and 1.3 billion people pushed into poverty due to health spending. This means that mothers may miss out on the life-saving intervention they need for themselves or their children, people are not diagnosed and treated for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) on time, with delays in early treatment leading to severe, untreatable or life-threatening illnesses.
Healthier populations build communities that are more resilient, productive, peaceful and prosperous. Health for all is a pre-requisite to achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs). In spite of numerous high-level political commitments to achieve UHC by 2030, over half of the world’s population still has no access to essential health services.
UHC will remain elusive until governments adequately invest in protecting people – particularly the most vulnerable among us – from impoverishing health spending.
Healthcare should never push people into poverty!
The high cost of health services is the primary reason people miss out on essential health care. These costs often force families to choose between paying for medicines or a visit to the doctor and other necessities, such as food, housing and education.
Health costs and illness should never push people into poverty! Investing in universal health coverage and financial protection not only enhances health and well-being but also fosters greater equity and social cohesion.
Universal health coverage: it’s good for people AND the economy!
Too often, people delay or miss out on medical treatment due to high health costs, resulting in longer-term illness within populations. This reduces workforce participation and productivity, ultimately leading to increased demand for long-term care or welfare support.
Investing in universal health coverage strengthens the national economy by enhancing health and well-being, boosting workforce participation and productivity, and fostering resilience in individuals, families and communities. When populations are healthy, economies thrive!
Key Asks
To protect everyone from financial hardship in accessing health care, we call on governments to:
- Make universal health coverage and financial protection for health a national priority!
- Adopt and implement laws to shield people from impoverishing health costs.
- Allocate budgets for an affordable package of essential health services.
- Establish national public health schemes that cover health costs for the entire population and are financed by national taxes.
- Minimize or eliminate user charges for those most in need, including individuals with low incomes or chronic conditions.
Governments: financial protection for health is on you!
