2021 UHC Day Message of Dr Sarah Barber, WHO Kobe Centre Director
This year on 12 December, the world will celebrate Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day to raise awareness for the need for strong, equitable and resilient health systems and universal health coverage. UHC advocates for everyone, everywhere to have access to quality essential health services without suffering financial hardship.
This year’s theme is Leave no one’s health behind: invest in health systems for all. At the WHO Kobe Centre (WKC), much of our research focuses on this goal, providing evidence for policymakers on financing healthcare and ensuring access to health services even while countries undergo rapid population ageing so that older people do not get left behind.
Based on WKC input, the 2021 WHO/World Bank Global Monitoring Report on Financial Protection in Health includes data on adults at older ages facing financial hardship due to health care utilization, to ensure that the needs of older adults are recognized in achieving UHC targets. Among the findings from WKC research included in this report is the result of a meta-analysis of the prevalence of foregone health care covering 56 countries which found that about 1 in 10 people forgo health care, mainly due to unaffordability. Nearly twice as many older people forgo health care compared to younger adults.
A separate WKC-supported study in Viet Nam found that, even with health insurance, older people frequently do not seek health care when they have an illness or injury, and instead do nothing or self-medicate. The findings also suggest that households with older people suffering from chronic diseases experience the most financial hardship due to health care utilization.
To contribute to our community, WKC is partnering with local researchers to understand unmet care needs among older people in the Kansai region of western Japan. Understanding the difficulties faced by older people in paying for health care services could help ensure financial protection of older people in the Kansai region with implications for other settings. We sincerely thank our local research partners, some of whom have sent us messages in support of this UHC Day.
UHC means working together for a healthier, more equitable world. We call on leaders, policymakers and people to make smart choices about investing in health systems, inclusive of the needs of all, especially older persons. #HealthForAll #UHCDay
Dr Sarah Louise Barber
Director: WHO Centre for Health Development (WHO Kobe Centre