Using Resources Wisely

Overview

Moving  towards  or  attaining  universal  health  coverage  in  a  population  represents  a major  goal  of  public  policy,  requiring  not  only  strong  political  will  and  leadership  but also  the  commitment  of  substantial  human,  capital  and  financial  resources.    Put another  way,  providing  access  to  a  core  set  of  health  interventions  for  all  those  in need  offers  an  optimal  pathway  by  which  overall  health  system  goals  of  improved health  and  fairness  in  financing  can  be  achieved  -  but  it  does  not  come  cheap. 

This brief is part of a series, The World Health Report Technical Briefs, written to further develop key policy issues outlined in the World Health Report 2010: Health systems financing: The path to universal coverage. The Briefs give a concise overview of the issues. They describe some country experiences and propose a menu of actions for policy makers.