The Week in Headlines
UHC Forward's weekly roundup of headlines from around the globe
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
Universal health coverage: lessons in The Lancet: Lara Brearley, Health Policy & Research Advisor for Save the Children UK reflects on the Lancet Series on universal health coverage. (Save the Children)
Upcoming FAHS CoP workshop in Marrakesh: Equity in Universal Health Coverage – reaching the poorest: Allison Kelley presents the main objectives of an upcoming workshop on strategies to ensure that health systems reach the poorest. Co-hosted by the Joint Learning Network for Universal Health Coverage, around 80 international experts from 12 countries will gather in Morocco from September 24-27th. (Health Financing in Africa: Le Blog)
Universal Health Coverage: a shared vision beyond 2015?: Thomas Schwarz, Executive Secretary of the Medicus Mundi International Network and a member of the team of Medicus Mundi Switzerland says that the existing fragmentation of the global health advocacy community is worrying. To overcome this situation people of the health community should agree on an overall understanding on what they want and universal health coverage could work as a common, holistic concept for integrating the global movement for health. (Medicus Mundi)
Regional council call for universal health insurance: The East African Community (EAC) is pushing for a social health protection programme across all member states, as way to improve universal access to health services. (The New Times)
The hidden costs of poor health coverage: Development and aid blogger Tom Murphy reflects on the Lancet series on UHC and the important point that aid should be "an internally driven force and not one that relies upon aid and is determined by external forces." (A View From The Cave)
Global South leads the way towards universal health coverage: IRIN examines how countries such as Ghana, India, and Rwanda are creating new models to introduce universal health coverage and how they are shaping the way that countries like South Africa are beginning to pilot their own bids for universal coverage.
Country News
India
Government to assure, not insure, health: The National Advisory Council (NAC), which sets the policy agenda for the Congress party led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, wants the Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna (RSBY) insurance scheme to be absorbed into the new policy for universal health coverage (UHC), taking the latter closer to realization. This is part of the government’s bid to move away from insuring citizens’ health to assuring it by investing in preventive care. (Livemint & The Wall Street Journal)
We have to spend more money on health: India is likely to finalize a draft Plan document next week to introduce universal health coverage in India. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, spoke in an interview about the challenges of pushing public health reforms with limited resources at hand. (Livemint & The Wall Street Journal)
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