An estimated 400 million people do not have access to basic health care services. That’s about 1 in every 16 people who cannot visit a hospital or clinic to have their blood pressure measured, or learn how to properly care for their child with diabetes.
Universal health coverage lies at the core of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for health, aiming to close gaps in access and make sure that everybody benefits from high-quality health care, reducing the risk of catastrophic financial harm as a result of seeking health services. With the adoption of the SDGs in September of this year, there can be no doubt that this UHC Day, Dec. 12, comes at a time when the cause has never been higher on the global health agenda.
The promise of UHC remains a significant challenge for many countries. Serious gaps in health infrastructures and the health workforce, fragile economies, and high burdens of disease remain as obstacles, particularly in least developed countries, many of them in Africa.
About the author
Eduardo Pisani
Eduardo Pisani became director general of the IFPMA in January 2010. An industry leader with over two decades of international pharmaceutical experience in companies like Bristol-Myers Squibb, Baxter, SmithKline Beecham, Immuno, he has seen health policy and patient access discussions evolve from a close vantage point, and is convinced that platforms for constructive policy discussion are essential to effective policymaking.
