How to Achieve Universal Health Coverage?
Wouldn’t it be nice to have this facility everywhere for everyone to get quality healthcare when they need it?
Governments, global health donors, non-profit organizations, and development banks struggle with finding a way to ensure countries really achieve universal health coverage by 2030. Most countries, including the US, are not on track to achieve “Sustainable Development Goal 3” (SDG3). And that is because most countries lack three things:
- They do not have a plan
- They lack a health system to implement it
- They lack a management structure to break up SDG3 into daily doable tasks
First, the plan. I started writing health plans in 1993 when I was working for the Government of Papua New Guinea. I was amazed at how such a small country had a clear plan. Since then, I have seen how few clients have an understanding of what a good plan is, and how to implement it to get things done.
Second, the health system. Having a health system is like having a car. It helps you get to where you want/need to go. Some people have old fashioned, and inefficient vehicles that consume lots of fuel and break down often. Others have an efficient automobile, and even public transportation that carry many people safely to their destinations. A health system is the vehicle through which health care providers deliver the preventive and curative services populations need. In my experience, most countries do not know what the structure of their health system is or how it works. They focus on one population group such as women or children, or a program such HIV/AIDS or Ebola or TB or cancer and neglect the other parts of the system that would support the services people need.
And Third, the management. I have been improving health service management for the last 25 years or so and it still amazes me how few people know how to translate annual plans into daily, weekly, and monthly results.
There is a better way. Listen to upcoming episodes this month on The Realizing Global Health Podcast where I will have a series of topics on Developing Sustainable, self-reliant health systems.
Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes , or listen to them on the RGH website.
