WMA signs up to promoting universal health coverage

The World Medical Association has committed the world’s 12 million physicians to promoting the benefits of universal health coverage across the globe.

In a special ceremony in Geneva yesterday, WMA President Dr. Leonid Eidelman officially signed the UHC2030 Global Compact for a safer, fairer and healthier world by 2030. The ceremony came on the second day of the World Health Assembly.

Dr. Eidelman said that universal health coverage was key to reaching the World Health Organisation’s ‘triple billion’ targets – one billion more people benefitting from universal health coverage, one billion more people better protected from health emergencies and one billion more people enjoying better health and well-being.

‘The World Medical Association embraces the concept wholeheartedly, and we are keen to see quality primary care provided by multi-disciplinary teams at the core of strong and comprehensive health care systems. In our view, UHC is the biggest step forward ever made by WHO, and we are firmly part of the movement.

‘In parts of the world where health systems are close to UHC we can show that this is for the benefit of everybody – for our patients, our colleagues and the communities we serve. UHC is an ideal platform, not only for providing curative care, but also for providing prevention, rehabilitation and palliative care’.

Dr. Eidelman said that investing in universal health coverage was not only a strong humanitarian move, it was also a sound economic development to create viable and value-adding services for communities.

UHC2030, run by the WHO and the World Bank, involves building and expanding equitable, resilient and sustainable health systems, funded primarily by public finance, and based on primary health care.