Universal health coverage (UHC) is one of the World Health Organisation’s top priorities as it works towards equitable access to essential health services without people being exposed to financial hardship, says WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
He added that shockingly, half the world’s population cannot access one or more essential health services.
“While access to services has been improving globally, two billion people face financial hardship due to paying for medicines and health services,” he said in his opening remarks on Human Rights Day this week.
Today marks Universal Health Coverage Day, a global campaign to raise awareness and action for universal health coverage (UHC), a key component of the Sustainable Development Agenda.
“This year has been another challenging one for our world, and for the health of its people. But there has also been much good news as nine countries were certified for the elimination of diseases,” he outlined.
Cabo Verde and Egypt became malaria-free; Brazil and Timor Leste eliminated lymphatic filariasis; India, Pakistan, and Vietnam eliminated trachoma; Jordan eliminated leprosy and Chad eliminated human African trypanosomiasis.
He added that more than 12 million doses of malaria vaccines have been delivered to 17 countries in Africa using the new malaria vaccines; tobacco use continues to decline in 150 countries.
“WHO prequalified a new vaccine against dengue; we gave Emergency Use Listing to the first mpox vaccines and tests and established a mechanism for equitable allocation of these products. At the UN General Assembly in New York, world leaders committed to a range of measures to fight the spread of antimicrobial resistance,” said Ghebreyesus.
Despite this, he said the wars in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine show no sign of ending, although WHO is grateful that the ceasefire in Lebanon appears to be holding.
“These conflicts have caused untold death, destruction and displacement, and often, health care has been in the crosshairs. So far this year, WHO has verified 1 370 attacks on healthcare institutions in 14 countries and territories, resulting in 805 deaths and 1 545 injuries to health workers and patients. The conflict in Gaza has also led to the re-emergence of polio. However, the vaccination campaign that WHO and our partners conducted appears to have been successful in preventing any further cases,” he stated.
Namibia’s health minister Kalumbi Shangula earlier this year said for the country to realise the UHC dream, it must continue prioritising investment in primary healthcare (PHC), which serves as the foundation of a comprehensive and responsive health system.
He added that more than 85% of Namibia’s population depends on taxpayer-funded public healthcare services.
“By strengthening primary healthcare services, we can promote health and wellness, prevent diseases, and reduce the burden and decongest secondary and tertiary care facilities all across Namibia,” said Shangula.
Namibia has more than 1150 health outreach points, 290 primary healthcare clinics, and 44 health centres distributed across the country, ensuring that more than 76% of the population lives within a 10-kilometre radius of a healthcare facility.
“There are 34 district hospitals, four intermediate hospitals, and a national referral hospital. These facilities offer a wide range of health solutions, including specialised and complex services.
Namibia is one of the few countries in Africa that can provide complex open-heart surgery, brain surgery, radiation therapy for cancer, and other services,” Shangula said last month at the inauguration of the Linyanti primary healthcare clinic in the Zambezi region.
He expressed confidence that UHC will be realised as Namibia is currently implementing a costed plan to address identified shortcomings in the public health sector.