scholarly journals The Legal Determinants of Health: How Can We Achieve Universal Health Coverage and What Does it Mean?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence O. Gostin
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Global Health ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Universal Health Coverage ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Essential Medicines ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
The Right ◽  
Universal Health

How can we keep people – wherever they live – healthy and safe? Among all global health initiatives, universal health coverage (UHC) has garnered most political attention. But can UHC (as important as it is) actually achieve the two fundamental aspirations of the right to health: keeping people healthy and safe, while leaving no one behind? There is a universal longing for health and security, but also a deep-seated belief in fairness and equity. Can UHC achieve both health and equity, or what I have called, "global health with justice?" What makes a population healthy and safe? Certainly, universal and affordable access to healthcare is essential, including clinical prevention, treatment, and essential medicines. But beyond medical care are public health services, including surveillance, clean air, potable water, sanitation, vector control, and tobacco control. The final and most important factor in good health are social determinants, including housing, employment, education, and equity. If we can provide everyone with these three essential conditions for good health (healthcare, public health and social determinants), it would vastly improve global health. But we also need to take measures to leave no one behind. To achieve equity, we need to plan for it, and here I propose national health equity programs of action. Society’s highest obligation is to achieve global health, with justice.

scholarly journals Advancing African Medicines Agency through Global Health Diplomacy for an Equitable Pan-African Universal Health Coverage: A Scoping Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (22) ◽  
pp. 11758
Author(s):  
Vijay Kumar Chattu ◽  
Vishal B. Dave ◽  
K. Srikanth Reddy ◽  
Bawa Singh ◽  
Biniyam Sahiledengle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Global Health ◽  
Universal Health Coverage ◽  
Essential Medicines ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
Global Health Diplomacy ◽  
Health Diplomacy ◽  
African Health ◽  
Health Strategy ◽  
Universal Health

The African continent is home to 15% of the world’s population and suffers from a disease burden of more than 25% globally. In this COVID-19 era, the high burden and mortality are further worsened due to inequities, inequalities such as inadequate health systems, scarce financial and human resources, as well as unavailability of inexpensive medicines of good quality, safety, and efficacy. The Universal Health Coverage ensures that people have access to high-quality essential health services, secure, reliable, and affordable essential medicines and vaccines, as well as financial security. This paper aimed at addressing the critical need for a continental African Medicines Agency (AMA) in addressing the inequities and the role of global health diplomacy in building consensus to support the ratification of the Treaty of AMA. A literature review was done in Scopus, Web of Science, MEDLINE/PubMed, and Google Scholar search engine to identify the critical literature in the context of study objectives. All the articles published after 2015 till 2021 in the context of AMA were included. African Health Strategy 2016–2030 highlighted the importance of an African regulatory mechanism for medicines and medical products. Through global health diplomacy (GHD), the African Union and its partners can negotiate and cooperate in providing infrastructural, administrative, and regulatory support for establishing the AMA. The paper emphasizes the South–South cooperation and highlights the contributions of India and China in the supply of medicines and vaccines to Africa. A strong AMA created through GHD can be a vital instrument in utilizing Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) flexibilities extension and an ideal partner for European and other regional regulatory authorities seeking to stem the tide of counterfeit, sub-standard, or fake products.

scholarly journals The Human Right to Health and Global Health Politics

2018 ◽  
pp. 491-511
Author(s):  
Gorik Ooms ◽  
Rachel Hammonds
Keyword(s):  
Global Health ◽  
Universal Health Coverage ◽  
Right To Health ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
Human Right ◽  
Health Politics ◽  
Aids Activism ◽  
The Right ◽  
Universal Health ◽  
Hiv Aids

This chapter discusses how the human right to health could be and has been used to influence global health politics to place greater emphasis on the interests of all people. It explores whether this right is a norm to which states adhere, or could adhere, because they identify with its underlying values. Three important obstacles are addressed. Global HIV/AIDS activism used the right to health to pressure influential states into compliance on concrete measures and therefore defined an important element of the human right to health. Earlier attempts to use this right to influence global health politics failed to advance similarly concrete measures. Those who want to use the right to health in support of universal health coverage should understand the strengths and weaknesses of this tool and advocate for concrete measures rather than broad principles.

scholarly journals Strengthening public health services to achieve universal health coverage in China

BMJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. l2358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beibei Yuan ◽  
Dina Balabanova ◽  
Jun Gao ◽  
Shenglan Tang ◽  
Yan Guo
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Universal Health Coverage ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
Universal Health

scholarly journals De la salud pública a la Cobertura Universal de Salud: el caso argentino / From public health to Universal Health Coverage: the Argentinian case

2018 ◽  
pp. 39-53
Author(s):  
Pablo Sebastián Cejas Romanelli
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Global Health ◽  
Health System ◽  
Universal Health Coverage ◽  
National Health System ◽  
International Health ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Universal Health

La salud pública es un concepto dinámico que obligó a los operadores sanitarios a pensar en estrategias de promoción y protección de la salud humana. Con el paso del tiempo, dicho concepto evolucionó hacia el de salud internacional, y este último, al de salud global en un contexto de globalización. La Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) se perfiló como el ente destinado a instrumentar las políticas de salud global. En tal sentido la Cobertura Universal de Salud surgió como el resultado de la política de dicha organización que no estuvo exenta de presiones y controles de organismos no estatales. La República Argentina incorporó al sistema de salud nacional, la Cobertura Universal de Salud que, tal como se verificó en la normativa internacional que le dio nacimiento, la prioridad está puesta en la salud financiera del sistema sanitario antes que en el derecho a la salud. Public health is a dynamic concept that forced healthcare operators to think about strategies for the promotion and protection of human health. With the passage of time, this concept evolved towards international health, and the latter, to global health in a context of globalization. The World Health Organization (WHO) emerged as the entity destined to implement global health policies. In this regard, the Universal Health Coverage emerged as the result of the policy of this organization that was not exempt from pressures and controls by non-state organizations. The Argentine Republic incorporated into the national health system, the Universal Health Coverage that, as verified in the international regulations that gave birth to it, the priority is placed on the financial health of the health system rather than on the right to health.

Universal Health Coverage

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joia S. Mukherjee
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Universal Health Coverage ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
Quality Health Care ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Quality Health ◽  
The Right ◽  
Universal Health

This chapter explores the seminal topic of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), an objective within the Sustainable Development goals. It reviews the theory and definitions that shape the current conversation on UHC. The movement from selective primary health care to UHC demonstrates a global commitment to the progressive realization of the right to health. However, access to UHC is limited by barriers to care, inadequate provision of care, and poor-quality services. To deliver UHC, it is critical to align inputs in the health system with the burden of disease. Quality of care must also be improved. Steady, sufficient financing is needed to achieve the laudable goal of UHC.This chapter highlights some important steps taken by countries to expand access to quality health care. Finally, the chapter investigates the theory and practice behind a morbidity-based approach to strengthening health systems and achieving UHC.

scholarly journals 20.F. Workshop: Dental care – coverage and access across countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
North America ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Universal Health Coverage ◽  
Dental Care ◽  
Financial Protection ◽  
Health Coverage ◽  
Universal Health

Abstract Oral health is a central element of general health with significant impact in terms of pain, suffering, impairment of function and reduced quality of life. Although most oral disease can be prevented by health promotion strategies and routine access to primary oral health care, the GBD study 2017 estimated that oral diseases affect over 3.5 billion people worldwide (Watt et al, 2019). Given the importance of oral health and its potential contribution to achieving universal health coverage (UHC), it has received increased attention in public health debates in recent years. However, little is known about the large variations across countries in terms of service delivery, coverage and financing of oral health. There is a lack of international comparison and understanding of who delivers oral health services, how much is devoted to oral health care and who funds the costs for which type of treatment (Eaton et al., 2019). Yet, these aspects are central for understanding the scope for improvement regarding financial protection against costs of dental care and equal access to services in each country. This workshop aims to present the comparative research on dental care coverage in Europe, North America and Australia led by the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. Three presentations will look at dental care coverage using different methods and approaches. They will compare how well the population is covered for dental care especially within Europe and North America considering the health systems design and expenditure level on dental care, using the WHO coverage cube as analytical framework. The first presentation shows results of a cross-country Health Systems in Transition (HiT) review on dental care. It provides a comparative review and analysis of financing, coverage and access in 31 European countries, describing the main trends also in the provision of dental care. The second presentation compares dental care coverage in eight jurisdictions (Australia (New South Wales), Canada (Alberta), England, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and the United States) with a particular focus on older adults. The third presentation uses a vignette approach to map the extent of coverage of dental services offered by statutory systems (social insurance, compulsory insurance, NHS) in selected countries in Europe and North America. This workshop provides the opportunity of a focussed discussion on coverage of dental care, which is often neglected in the discussion on access to health services and universal health coverage. The objectives of the workshop are to discuss the oral health systems in an international comparative setting and to draw lessons on best practices and coverage design. The World Conference on Public Health is hence a good opportunity for this workshop that contributes to frame the discussion on oral health systems in a global perspective. Key messages There is large degree of variation in the extent to which the costs of dental care are covered by the statutory systems worldwide with implications for oral health outcomes and financial protection. There is a need for a more systematic collection of oral health indicators to make analysis of reliable and comparable oral health data possible.

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