Pretoria – In support of the second ever UHC on 12 December 2015, the WHO joins nearly 600 partners in celebrating progress in over 100 countries in achieving universal health coverage.

In South Africa, WHO celebrates both UHC Day and the launch of the National Health Insurance white paper launched today, which provides the roadmap for realizing universal health coverage in South Africa. 

Great progress has already been made in the country in scaling up proven interventions, including vaccines for human papillomavirus (HPV) that prevent cervical cancer, pneumococcal conjugate and rotavirus vaccines that have reduced morbidity and mortality among children under 5, and expanded access to HIV care and treatment to millions of people.   

UHC is achieved by ensuring that all people receive the quality health services that they need without being exposed to financial hardship.  It demonstrates a commitment to equity and access to enable all to enjoy the benefits of quality care. 

UHC is a target under the Sustainable Development Goals, agreed upon by all United Nation Member states in 2015 to reduce poverty and fuel economic growth globally.  Every US$1 invested in health results in 10 times the benefits – through saving lives, increasing productivity and boosting development. 

Critical to achieving UHC is a strong health system – including leadership and commitment but also health financing strategies that provide incentives for quality care and prevent high out of pocket payments, a qualified accessible health workforce, access to quality medical products, and primary care systems that are people-centered and responsive. 

Globally, more than 100 countries have committed to UHC and begun the process of strengthening their health systems, scaling up proven interventions, and investing in innovations to accelerate progress. Countries as diverse as China, the USA, Ethiopia, India, and Ghana have implemented a series of reforms to achieve UHC. 

WHO is urging people to join the global show of solidarity by supporting UHC on websites and social media profiles, and to educate their networks about the important links between the issues they work on and universal access to health. 

In September, WHO and Germany launched the health systems surveillance roadmap to plot development progress. Next week, Japan will host the UHC Tokyo Conference in preparation for its 2016 G7 Summit, while Kenya’s TICAD6 meeting will prioritise UHC.

To view the message of the WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan, click here.
 
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