The 2023 U.N. General Assembly highlighted a stark reality: the world is falling short of achieving health coverage by 2030.
It is a sobering fact that over 4.5 billion people lack comprehensive access to essential health services and that 2 billion people grapple with financial hardship after accessing lifesaving health services. Yet the majority of essential UHC interventions can be delivered through a primary health care approach.
As the director-general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, emphasized at UNGA, primary health care remains the most inclusive, equitable, cost-effective, and efficient path to UHC. While health systems lack the sustained funding, workforce capacity, tools, medicines, and health information systems required to provide high-quality health care, UHC will never be achieved.
About the author
Nikolaj Gilbert
Nikolaj Gilbert is the president and CEO of PATH, an international nonprofit focused on advancing health equity through innovation and partnerships. He brings over 25 years of experience across the private sector, nonprofits, and multilateral organizations. Before joining PATH in 2020, Nikolaj served as director of partnerships for the United Nations Office for Project Services and held leadership roles at Novo Nordisk.
