UHC Forward: Towards Universal Health Coverage

Governments around the world are engaging in serious political and technical discussions on how to expand health coverage. Still others are considering such reforms, but are struggling to navigate the legal, financial, and political frameworks of their countries to determine the best path towards reform.

Below is a list of UHC-related headlines from around the world:

General News

(International Health Policies) - International AIDS Conference ignores Universal Health Coverage: wearing blinders or vital self-defense?: Gorik Ooms asks why, at the AIDS 2012 conference in Washington DC, Universal Health Coverage was not a big issue.

(Management Sciences for Health) - AIDS 2012: The Vision for Success Beyond MDG 6: Chronic NCDs, Health System Strengthening, and UHC: On Sunday, July 22, 2012, Management Sciences for Health (MSH) hosted a satellite session, Beyond MDG 6: HIV and Chronic NCDs: Integrating Health Systems Towards Universal Health Coverage at the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012). The session panelists were: Dr Ayoub Magimba, Till Baernighausen, Dr Jemima Kamano, John Donnelly (moderator), Sir George Alleyne, Dr Doyin Oluwole, and Dr Jonathan D. Quick.

Country Headlines

China

(The Wall Street Journal) - China calls for health system overhaul: Chinese health officials call for additional reform of China's health-care system amid mounting costs, problems at public hospitals and a surge of patients with chronic diseases.

Ghana

(Government of Ghana) - African countries laud Ghana’s health insurance scheme: The Managers of Ghana’s National Health Insurance Authority may be racking their brains over issues relating to sustainability, but the scheme remains the toast of many African countries and others around the world. This came to light during a high-powered round table of Africa’s Ministers of Finance and Health held in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, on July 4 and 5, 2012.

Great Britain

(The Examiner) - British celebrate their health care system in London Olympics Opening Ceremony: The Opening Ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics included a visual narrative, highlighting the many accomplishments of the British people over many centuries. The story included a dramatic transition from the agrarian era to the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain. Then, after a moment marking the two world wars, the ceremony included a segment celebrating the National Health Service (NHS).

India

(The Hindu) - Health versus wealth: Current deliberations in the Planning Commission about actualizing universal health care in the Twelfth Five Year Plan, have invited concerns. There has been a marked thrust on state-funded insurance as opposed to a genuine effort on the government’s part to rebuild public health systems, something that has been a globally time-tested system to ensure health for all.

Mali

(Health Systems 20/20) - Removing barriers to health care in Mali: In this two-minute video, the Health Systems 20/20 project documents how Mali is removing barriers to health care through health financing reforms.

Nigeria

(The Guardian - Nigeria) - NHIS launches health insurance drama: In order to reach the average Nigerian with the message of health insurance, the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has launched an advocacy drama titled, Bridges.

Philippines

(Business Mirror) - Why social health insurance: PhilHealth President and CEO Dr. Eduardo Banzon continues his series of editorials on the Philippines journey towards universal health coverage.

Thailand

(The World Bank) - The Health Effects of Universal Health Care: Evidence from Thailand: This paper exploits the staggered roll out of Thailand's universal health coverage scheme to estimate its impacts on whether individuals report themselves as being too ill to work.

Want more headlines from around the globe? Follow us on Twitter or 'like' us on Facebook for daily updates.