12 Dec 2018  |   04:48am IST

UHC an imperative

Ganapathi Bhat

It is both heartening and salutary to note that countries and agencies have increasingly shifted their focus on health care to their citizens. They have realised that a healthy individual is a productive citizen who can contribute his mite to the society. Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is the ultimate aim of the United Nations (UN). Access to modern day quality health care, which is affordable, is a human being's dream. "Unite for Universal Health Coverage: Now is the Time for Collective Action" is the slogan of the UN for the 2018 UHC on December 12. 

Strengthening the Primary Health Care Units is that is needed for a solid start to UHC. Everyone cannot go to secondary and tertiary health care levels. Finance and transport are big hindrances for people to visit expert-care centres. So, the roots have to be solidified. In doing so, it is vital to simultaneously arm both the secondary and the tertiary levels of health care with perfect logistics. A comprehensive health care plan cannot go on shifting the goalposts. The UHC of the UN has fixed the year 2030 as the target UHC. 

The World Bank Group's (WBG) multiple sustainable development goals (SDG) are a step forward in this direction. The joint collaboration of UHC and WBG has reported at least half of the world's population are deprived of basic health facilities. When poor avail costly health services, they are unable to make both ends meet---this is the stark truth. Tracking UHC is WBG's way of making sure the plans are translated into results. The low and middle income group countries are targets of both UHC and WBG. The joint cooperation has helped sharing knowledge ad dissipating information. 

An agency's ambitions are bolstered when top institutions add to propagate the former's aims. The UNGA has asked countries to act "urgently" towards fulfilling UHC's aims. More organizations of the UN have happily joined UHC-WBG initiative to prevent poor families of the world being pushed to poverty due to augmented health costs. The WHO and UNICEF are actively involved in pushing the project ahead. When more and more people are healthy, the world's makeover will be complete.

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