Nepal boosts drug availability
Nepal has made significant progress in improving drug availability. In this short video, Pukar Malla explains how L4UHC helped create a safe space to innovate, and the need to start small and think big.
NEWS & EVENTS
COUNTRY AND PARTNER NEWS
The value of communication
Cameroon is politically committed to UHC but the different views of national stakeholders of how to achieve it have hindered progress. Better communication, aided by L4UHC, has made change possible.
Will COVID-19 accelerate UHC?
The pandemic has highlighted the importance of leadership and a multi-sectoral approach – two of the key strengths L4UHC is fostering. But will governments heed the lessons and accelerate UHC’s roll-out?
Time to honour commitments
UHC and health crisis management are two sides of the same coin, argues a blog from L4UHC’s partner, the World Bank. Governments need to honour their UHC commitments, it says.
Pakistan makes headway
Pakistan is making encouraging progress, but it still has a long way to go if UHC is to become truly ‘universal’ across the country, and not just confined to a few provinces.
L4UHC rolls out in Asia
Sri Lanka’s response to a terrorist attack in 2019 provided a textbook example of leadership and management, which L4UHC is now supporting in Asia.
OTHER INSIGHTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Get ready for International UHC Day
Each year on 12 December, the world celebrates International Universal Health Coverage Day (UHC Day). This year the theme is ‘Health for all: protect everyone’. Check out the website for campaign materials and to see what different countries are doing.
UN launches UHC and COVID-19 Policy Brief
Launching the UN’s latest policy brief, COVID-19 and Universal Health Coverage, Secretary-General António Guterres said that UHC comes at a cost, but that the price is cheap, “when we consider the alternative.” So far, the pandemic has cost the global economy $375 billion per month, and about 500 million jobs.
Gates report highlights daunting task ahead
The latest Goalkeepers report on progress with the SDGs from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation says that many low- and middle-income countries, especially in Africa, face a daunting task in achieving UHC and other SDG goals due to the impacts of COVID-19.
Study reveals global UHC shortfall
A new study published in The Lancet projects that 3.1 billion people will still lack effective health service coverage in 2023, with 968 million living in South Asia. This falls short of the WHO goal of 1 billion more people benefiting from UHC between 2019 and 2023.
Value of collaboration between sectors highlighted
Closer collaboration between the sectors dealing with food, water, air, and human health is needed to achieve UHC, according to a major report launched by The Access Challenge and Harvard Global Health Institute.
Pakistan re-focuses on essential health during COVID
Although Pakistan is committed to UHC, many services for illnesses that are unrelated to COVID-19 have stopped, with multiple primary health care services on hold. The country is now working with the WHO and other partners to re-focus on essential health care, such as maternal and newborn health services.
PROGRAMME UPDATES
L4UHC prepares to evolve
After successfully completing its last two cycles in Africa and Asia, the L4UHC programme is preparing to evolve to take into account growing demand and the challenges highlighted by COVID, as well as lessons learned over the programme’s last two years.
Adapting L4UHC to a COVID world
We’re looking at new ways to deliver our programme in the context of travel bans and social distancing, and how we can adapt the programme’s content and methodology to support the country teams in responding to the crisis.
Integrating gender into country actions
How can you ensure that your country initiatives are gender equitable and inclusive? Our new paper on this issue highlights some of the key questions you need to ask.
EVENTS
Annual Health Financing Forum
The Fifth Annual Health Financing Forum (AHFF) will take place virtually for the first time since the series began in 2016. This year, the AHFF is part of the COVID-19 Health Financing Resilience Program (COVID-19 HFRP).
Read more >
All in-person L4UHC events on hold
We’ve inevitably had to postpone all in-person L4UHC events due to the virus. We’ll keep you posted of our plans to continue to support you, either virtually or by rescheduling meetings, once the situation becomes clearer.