Universal health coverage: friend or foe of health equity?

Abstract

Once again, calls for universality are being heard from health advocates and planners. Last time around, such calls were for achieving the health-for-all goal at the 1978 Alma-Ata conference. Now they are re-emerging, as more limited but nonetheless stirring appeals to seek universal coverage or access in a wide range of health-related areas such as HIV/AIDS, 1 WHOUNAIDSUNICEFToward universal access: scaling up priority HIV/AIDS interventions in the health sector. Progress report 2010. http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2010/9789241500395_eng.pdfDate: 2010 Google Scholar reproductive health, 2 UNAchieve universal access to reproductive health, target 5B, Millennium Development Goals. http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/MDG%20Report%202010%20En%20r15%20-low%20res%2020100615%20-.pdf#page=34Date: June 15, 2010 Google Scholar health insurance, 3 Garrett L Chowdhury AMR Pablos-Méndez A All for universal health coverage. Lancet. 2009; 374: 1294-1299 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (84) Google Scholar and free health services, particularly for women and children. 4 Commonwealth Heads of Government MeetingCHOGM communiqué. http://www.thecommonwealth.org/files/216904/FileName/TrinidadandTobagoCHOGMCommunique.pdfDate: Nov 27–29, 2009 Google Scholar Reflecting such interest, universal coverage will figure as the organising theme of a large WHO research meeting on Nov 16–19. 5 WHOSpecial Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases, Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, et al. First global symposium on health systems research: science to accelerate universal health coverage. http://www.hsr-symposium.orgDate: 2010 Google Scholar The growing movement for universal health coverageAs the global community gears up for the final push to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, an essential reinforcing movement is beginning to take root in low-income and middle-income countries and the myriad organisations that support them. This growing movement calls for the achievement of universal health coverage—as officially defined by the 58th session of the World Health Assembly in 2005 as “access to key promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative health interventions for all at an affordable cost”. Full-Text PDF