Universal Health Coverage Day
Universal Health Coverage Day is celebrated on the 12th of December every year. It provides awareness regarding the fact that healthcare is a basic human right and that it should reach every nook and corner of the world.
Why was it implemented?
Universal Health Coverage is a key target under Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being).
It contributes to:
- Reduction in poverty level
- Gender equality
- Improved economy
- Better education
Why is it still out of reach?
Though various measures are being implemented worldwide everyday they lack of awareness has been a major setback
- Healthcare is still being treated as a business and is expensive
- Shortage of doctors
- Lack of awareness
- Inablity to access facilitities
- Political interference
- Lack of infrastructure
Conclusion for the year 2025 in a nutshell
At the current pace, the world is not on track to achieve universal health coverage (UHC), Progress has slowed since 2015.
For the period of 2015-2023, progress dropped to one-third of the annualized rate compared to pre-2015 gains.
The proportion of the population not covered by essential health services decreased by about 20%
In 2022, 2.1 billion people faced financial hardship, including 1.6 billion people living in poverty or pushed deeper into
All WHO regions saw progress in service coverage, while half (Africa, South-East Asia, and the Western Pacific) also reduced financial hardship since 2015.
This official report sheds light on the deteriorating condition of the level of universal level coverage achieved. This provides insight on which areas to improve.
The real issue is When can we finally achieve Universal healthcare coverage?
What should the government do to achieve Universal health coverage?
MBH/AB