Improving health system efficiency as a means of moving towards universal coverage

Overview

Five  years  ago,  the  58th  session  of  the  World  health  Assembly  endorsed  a  resolution  urging  member  states  to work  towards  sustainable  health  financing,  with  a  view  to  achieving  'universal  coverage'  -  the  latter  defined  in terms  of  'access  to  key  promotive,  preventive,  curative  and  rehabilitative  health  interventions  for  all  at  an affordable  cost,  thereby  achieving  equity  in  access'  (WHO,  2005).    A  number  of  implications follow from such a defined  goal,  including  1)  the need  to  specify  what  interventions  are  considered  'key'  in  a  particular  context,  and 2)  the  need  to  generate  sufficient  funds  to  ensure  that  these  key  interventions  or  services  are  made  available  and affordable  to  all  (including  those  with  very  limited  ability  to  contribute  funds themselves).

This report is part of a series, The World Health Report 2010 Background Papers, which were written to inform the process of developing the key messages of the World Health Report 2010: Health systems financing: The path to universal coverage.