BOX 5.3Universal Health Coverage (UHC): What is it?

  • The United Nations resolution on UHC, adopted on 12 December 2012, acknowledges that UHC “implies that all people have access, without discrimination, to nationally determined sets of the promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative basic health services needed and essential, safe, affordable, effective and quality medicines, while ensuring that the use of these services does not expose the users to financial hardship, with a special emphasis on the poor, vulnerable and marginalized segments of the population” (22).
  • “UHC embodies specific health and social goals: it is the aspiration that all people can obtain the quality health services they need (equity in service use) without fear of financial hardship (financial protection). This right is declared in the World Health Organization (WHO) Constitution and increasingly in many national constitutions or laws, thereby reflecting universal social values such as human security, social cohesion, and solidarity” (23).
  • “Universal health coverage means that all people receive the health services they need, including public health services designed to promote better health (such as anti-tobacco information campaigns and taxes), prevent illness (such as vaccinations), and to provide treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care (such as end-of-life care) of sufficient quality to be effective, while at the same time ensuring that the use of these services does not expose the user to financial hardship” (24).

From: 5, Implementation Considerations and Good Practice Statements on Self-Care

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WHO Consolidated Guideline on Self-Care Interventions for Health: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.
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