UN High-level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage

Introduction to Universal Health Coverage

The main objective of Universal Health Coverage UHC is to ensure that nobody is deprived of the healthcare facilities irrespective of their location. Universal Health Coverage is one of the World Health Organization’s key ventures that are being supported by health systems all across the globe. The meeting held in 2019 attempted to gain political and financial commitments from 193 member nations that will assist them in focusing on health insurance for all. 10 different organizations namely NFPA, UNICEF, UNDP, UNAIDS, GIZ, ILO, USAID, DFID, and World Bank closely work with the WHO to advance health programs in the UN member nations. The agenda includes supplying a trained health workforce, hospitalization cover, and tax benefits to countries so that everyone has access to life-saving medicine and vaccines. Heads of State endorsed this political meeting. Before this, there were similar discussions conducted in 2017 which witnessed the UN passing laws regarding worldwide health and the foreign jurisdiction. The last meeting on Universal Health Coverage took place in April 2021 which discussed matters related to the poor population’s access to health that is posing threat to their future because they have to wash off their hands from life savings. Thus UHC put out a declaration that would help adults to earn and secure their future in the long term.

Key Commitments

In this section, we are about to discuss the core requests made by the UN towards the political parties of the member nations. These appeals themed universal health coverage and were brought to attention by an array of health professionals and global health insurance policy stakeholders. Private agencies also stepped along with the parliamentarians to consult the workflow of Universal Health Coverage. The commitments put forward at the United Nations General Assembly are:

• Health insurance access and savings protection: Twenty-four accelerated provisions were announced that will be targeted for fulfillment by 2030. These assurances include hospitalization cover for those who cannot afford medical treatment. This promoted UHC throughout the globe. For further clarification, the General Assembly promised to deploy 1 billion extra trained forces by the end of 2023 that will look after global health. Out-of-reach health expenses were also addressed sincerely as the high-level meeting committed to awarding tax benefits for underprivileged zones so that impoverishment does not arise at least for critical health expenses.

• Resource allocation: Highly demanded resources like vaccines that cure pandemic outbreaks, general medical gear, cardiology equipment, etc. will be provided to healthcare centers wherever necessary, especially in developing and marginalized economies. Health systems will be enhanced through the education of manpower that belongs to a non-medical background. All the steps are ongoing and the impact is about to figure out almost 8.5 years of more average life expectancy in countries with growing economic status. A monetary donation of 3.9 trillion USD was announced in the session of 2019 aiming to procure general health insurance for all.

• Healthcare manning: WHO spotted a scarcity of 18 million healthcare attendants at a global level and thus stepped forward to resolve this issue. The organization called for the generation of almost 40 million healthcare attendant jobs by the end of the year 2030. 
• Public spending to promote the UHC: This was the end game objective of the high-level meeting of 2019. A proper budget was declared with an expense split for public health. The allocations generally indicated a larger fiscal space. Profit-making was not the goal but everyone must work towards optimum spending on public health insurance. Primary medical treatment has to be extended to all irrespective of their geographical and cultural barriers. This declaration may vary depending on national policies and rules. WHO suggested that improvement could be roughly measured if there emerges progress of an extra 1 % of GDP? The more this marginal value the more successful will be the course of execution.

Conclusion

The motive of the Universal Health Coverage program is to deliver health services to a vast population who otherwise suffer from financial hardship and thus refrain from attending medical centers or applying for health insurance due to a lack of knowledge and trust in the expensive health systems. Thus they aim to build up a strong, productive, well-organized healthcare system with the help of governmental support and investors who will abide by the legislation designed by WHO. The regulations promote the message of UHC to diverse cultures. In India, the Rural Health Mission at a national level is contributing to public health by reducing the volume of maternal mortality since 2015. Their services have been recognized by public sectors as well. The combined effort is working towards the mission of WHO as India is a member of the UN.