On December 12, 2012, the United Nations unanimously endorsed a resolution calling upon governments to take action toward universal health coverage (UHC). Today, a coalition of leading health and development organizations, including The Rockefeller Foundation, the World Bank, the World Health Organization, and the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, is urging governments to accelerate this movement toward UHC.
Each year, around 44 million households suffer severe financial hardship and an estimated 25 million are driven into poverty due to catastrophic health expenditures. For others, high costs prevent them from seeking care at all. To relieve the burden on individuals, development organizations and economists recommend pooling funding to reduce reliance on out-of-pocket payments. In September, 267 of the world’s leading economists signed the Economists Declaration on Universal Health Coverage, arguing that UHC is not only right, but also a smart economic investment. In fact, 24% of full-income growth in LMICs in the past 10 years can be attributed to health improvements.
Recognizing the need for health coverage, governments of over 100 countries have already taken steps toward UHC. Hope Through Health believes that health is a human right, meaning that everyone should be able to access the care that they need, regardless of their ability to pay. For this reason, we support the movement toward UHC and continue to provide quality and affordable healthcare for people in Togo.
To learn more about universal health coverage and UHC day, visit healthforall.org.