Universal Health Coverage Day

Universal Health Coverage Day is celebrated on the 12th of December every year. It provides awareness regarding the fact that healthcare is a basic human right and that it should reach every nook and corner of the world.

Why was it implemented?

Universal Health Coverage is a key target under Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Well-being).

It contributes to:

• Reduction in poverty level

• Gender equality

• Improved economy

• Better education

Why is it still out of reach?

Though various measures are being implemented worldwide everyday they lack of awareness has been a major setback

• Healthcare is still being treated a s a business - It should be considered as a basic human right and must be provided for everyone. If a basic neccesity is expensive people who are poor maybe unable to afford it and they consider it as a luxury

• Decreased doctor supply - Shortage of the amount of doctors available to provide complete coverage of everyone can be a major contributing factor. Lack of respect and being underpaid while doing overwork may case th available doctors to be burned out and further decrease the number.

• Lack of awareness - People may still be unaware the consequences of lack of healthcare. They may sometimes even believe in superstitions and completely reject modern medicine.

• Inablity to access facilitities - People in rural areas do not have access to hospitals and lack a well trained doctor inheir vicinity

• Political interference - Political parties may interfere in the development of the country due to their internal differences

• Lack of infrastructure - Lack of infrastructure in the rural areas may lead to misdiagnosis and improper treatment which may further lead to distrust among patients and decrease healthcare interest

Conclusion for the year 2025 in a nutshell

• At the current pace, the world is not on track to achieve universal health coverage (UHC), Progress has slowed since 2015.

• For the period of 2015-2023, progress dropped to one-third of the annualized rate compared to pre-2015 gains.

• The proportion of the population not covered by essential health services decreased by about 20%

• In 2022, 2.1 billion people faced financial hardship, including 1.6 billion people living in poverty or pushed deeper into

• All WHO regions saw progress in service coverage, while half (Africa, South-East Asia, and the Western Pacific) also reduced financial hardship since 2015.

This official report sheds light on the deteriorating condition of the level of universal level coverage achieved. This provides insight on which areas to improve.