The best way to achieve the health SDGs is through UHC, where everybody receives the quality health services they need, without suffering financial hardship. By 2030, there should be no one dying needlessly from preventable diseases; no one should be left behind. That is the philosophical motto of the SDGs.”
Ban Ki-moon, former UN Secretary-General, and Co-Chair of the Elders
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The annual Prince Mahidol Award Conference (PMAC) held from 28 January to 2 February 2020 under the theme, Accelerating Progress to Universal Health Coverage (UHC), brought together more than 1,000 participants from multilateral agencies, academia, civil society, public sector and the private sector. Leveraging this event, several of the signatory agencies to the Global Action Plan for Healthy Lives and Well-being for All organized sessions to discuss ways for achieving UHC and the health-related Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs).
Primary Health Care the path to UHC
Investing in primary health care systems as a path to achieving UHC was a key message throughout the conference. As Dr Naoko Yamamoto, WHO Assistant Director-General, Universal Health Coverage and Healthier Populations said in her opening remarks, “Strengthening primary health care is the path towards UHC. We need to transform the way health and social services are organized, funded and delivered. For health care and coverage to be truly universal, it calls for a shift from health systems designed around diseases and health institutions towards prevention and health promotion.”
Reinforcing these remarks, Her Royal Highness Dina Mired, Princess of Jordan and President of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) said, “Our health systems have long been geared to treat communicable diseases only and certainly not to prevent diseases, making some to call Ministries of Health as far as Ministries of Disease.”
More money, better spending, more health
Mechanisms to finance UHC was another central theme of the conference. Five of the Global Action Plan signatory agencies working on the Sustainable Financing for Health accelerator, (Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; the Global Financing Facility; the Global Fund; the World Bank and WHO) organized a side event entitled: Making health financing work for UHC. The event, attended by more than 120 participants, focused on sharing practical steps, policies and experiences countries have taken to more effectively mobilize, utilize and leverage financing for health. Throughout the two days, panelists and country participants from Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Georgia, Ghana, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Kenya, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Thailand, South Africa and others shared experiences on areas such as the implementation of “pro-health tax” reforms to public financial management systems, and policies to reduce financial hardship and unmet need.
Marijke Wijnroks, Chief of Staff from the Global Fund and co-lead of the sustainable finance for health accelerator group said, “one of the broader aims of the sustainable financing accelerator is to support countries mobilize more domestic resources for health and ensuring its effective use.”
Globally, the WHO estimates that 20 to 40 per cent of health budgets is wasted. “It’s not enough to mobilize more resources for health; we need to get better and more equitable coverage and financial protection from the money that is spent. Improvement at the country level requires implementing better policies that include incentives for efficient use of resources to maximize impact,” added Joseph Kutzin, WHO Coordinator, Health Financing Policy and member of the sustainable financing accelerator group.
Money talks
Advocating for more resources for health is no easy task. “The dialogue between Ministers of Health and Ministers of Finance can be likened to men are from Mars and women are from Venus,” explained Toomas Palu, Senior Advisor on Health, Nutrition and Population for the World Bank and co-lead for the sustainable finance for health accelerator group. “We need to support Ministers of Health develop the investment case and demonstrate how health programmes contribute to broader national development objectives. This is where the Global Action Plan agencies can support countries achieve the health SDGs,” said Palu.
As the conference concluded, it is clear that progress must be urgently accelerated to achieve UHC. “Fostering dialogue between countries around the key themes of health financing and primary health care and leveraging opportunities such as PMAC is a critical way for the Global Action Plan signatory agencies to engage with stakeholders from different constituencies, identify priorities and support impact at the country level,” said David Hipgrave, Senior Health Advisor, UNICEF and member of the primary health care accelerator group.