Universal Health Coverage (Constituency statement)

Constituency statement to the WHO Executive Board 152 (Jan-Feb 2023) by:
• WMA World Medical Association
• International Pharmaceutical Federation
• International Council of Nurses
• World Physiotherapy
• International Association for Hospice & Palliative Care
• International College of Surgeons
• IntraHealth
• Women Deliver
• Movendi International
Universal Health Coverage
Reorienting health systems to primary health care as a resilient foundation for universal
health coverage and preparations for a high-level meeting of the United Nations General
Assembly on universal health coverage
Honourable chair, distinguished delegates,
We welcome the Report by the Director General on progress towards achieving UHC within the
context of the SDGs, and appreciate the attention drawn to the lack of concrete operational steps
being undertaken to realise goals/targets adopted in laws and national plans. One of the concrete
steps which is vital to progress on UHC is adequate and sustainably financed health workforce
development, including palliative care specialists, with a focus on integrated service delivery for
primary health care. In the face of a WHO projected shortfall of 10.2 million health workers by
2030, particularly (but not exclusively) in lower- and middle-income countries, this step cannot be
neglected.
Health professionals are at the heart of every health system, and governments and employers must
provide safe, supportive environments to help them thrive and to ensure retention of qualified and
valuable staff. Positive Practice Environments are vital to achieving UHC, which means ensuring
decent working conditions, including occupational safety, manageable workloads, stress reduction
measures, adequate remuneration, and the provision of psychosocial support and counselling,
especially during times of emergencies.
We also welcome the call for national health systems to be inclusive of civil society and suggest
that concrete mechanisms for policy makers and regulators to interact with NGOs such as health
professionals’ and patients’ associations and advocacy groups be recommended to ensure that
stakeholders’ voices have impact. This will respond to the UHC principles of equity and quality and
contribute to the provision of high-quality patient care as well as creating enabling workplaces for
the health workforce.
We recognise that UN high-level meeting on UHC provides a unique opportunity to reinvigorate
progress towards UHC. Action-oriented outcomes to strengthen health systems provide the basis for
implementation and accountability, building on the 2019 Political Declaration.