Universal Health Coverage Day 2021

Universal Health Coverage Day on 12 December is the annual rallying point for the growing movement for health for all. It marks the anniversary of the United Nations' endorsement of universal health coverage in 2012.

Under the theme, Leave No One's Health Behind: Invest in health systems for all, this year's campaign promotes equal access to quality essential health services by showcasing advocacy efforts and stories of the millions of people waiting for health. The 2021 campaign also calls on leaders to invest in health and reminds the world about the imperative of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

UHC Day 2021 Campaign is built up around five key messages:

• Equity: balance the scales to ensure fair access to care
• Resilience: create health systems that protect everyone
• Investment: direct funding towards a healthier, safer future
• Accountability: drive stakeholders to act for accountability
• Collaboration: forge common ground for global progress

Primary Care and UHC

As a professional organisation representing thousands of family doctors and general practitioners globally, WONCA strongly supports Universal Health Coverage. Primary Care is a cornerstone of Universal Health Coverage. Every year, WONCA joins this global movement to promote the delivery of quality health services, including primary care, to everyone, everywhere. 

This year, WONCA President, Dr Anna Stavdal, shared a reflection on the role of family doctors in the delivery of health for all.

“Health for All requires qualified health professionals in the first line of care, in the communities. UHC means a family doctor for every family!”

30 by 2030

We also take the opportunity to call for major international donors to assign a part of their disease-oriented categorical budgets, increasing to 30% by 2030, to strengthening horizontal Primary Health Care systems so that all diseases can be prevented and people treated in a comprehensive way. 

The achievement of Universal Health Coverage requires strengthening Primary Health Care: the “30by2030”-campaign!

by Bianca De Sà e Silva

Celebrating Universal Health Coverage Day is a very opportune moment to bring the “30by2030”-campaign back into the spotlight. 

This campaign, launched in late 2020, aims to shed a light on the global problem of unequal investments in health care in low- and middle-income countries and calls for action to increase funding for Primary Health Care. 

While primary care is recognized by the WHO as the cornerstone of Universal Health Coverage, primary care facilities worldwide are still largely underfunded. On the other hand, large sums of donor investments are directed to disease-specific programs, leading to inequity by disease.

“30by2030” calls for increase in direct investments to strengthen primary care and advocates for diagonal investments: when major donors launch a call for project proposals focusing on specific health conditions such as HIV, diabetes, mental health conditions, tuberculosis, malaria, or more recently, COVID-19 in low- and middle-income countries, applicants should make clear how they are going to improve primary healthcare service delivery and channel 30% of the resources into strengthening such service. 

Access the website 30by2030.net to learn more about the campaign and sign the petition!