Universal health coverage means that all people and communities receive the health services (e.g. the full spectrum of health services from health promotion to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care across the life course) they need and of sufficient quality to be effective while also ensuring that the use of these services does not expose the user to financial hardship.

Achieving Universal Health Coverage is one of the targets the nations of the world set when adopting the SDGs in 2015. Countries reaffirmed this commitment at the United Nations General Assembly High Level Meeting on UHC in 2019. The inclusion of UHC in the SDGs presents an opportunity to promote a comprehensive and coherent approach to health, focusing on health systems strengthening. Countries that progress towards UHC will make progress towards the other health-related targets, and towards the other goals. Universal health coverage has therefore become a major goal for health reform in many countries and a priority objective of WHO.