With just under 500 days remaining until the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals, countries are pushing to achieve and exceed all of the goals. Yet, despite our best efforts, our work will not be done when 2015 ends.
Too many people will be dying from preventable causes because they lack access to essential, quality care, or because they cannot afford to pay for the care they need. The development and global health landscapes will continue to change, with half of today’s low-income countries transitioning to become middle-income countries, and chronic conditions—such as heart disease and diabetes—rapidly becoming an even greater threat.
Yet, we know what we need to do to end preventable maternal and child deaths. And we know how we can sharply reduce deaths and disability from chronic illnesses.
The most equitable and sustainable way to achieve the health outcomes we all want by 2030 is through universal health coverage, which means that everyone can access quality, essential health services without struggling to pay for them. Worldwide, one billion people lack access to health care, and about 100 million people face poverty every year as a result of out-of-pocket health care costs.
If we want to end extreme poverty by 2030 and boost shared prosperity, we must reach universal health coverage. Countries like Japan, Thailand, and Turkey have shown the promise of universal health coverage for their people, and more and more countries—like Myanmar, Nigeria, Peru, Senegal, Kenya, South Africa, and the Philippines—are prioritizing universal health coverage.
These countries and others will chart their progress, both in scaling up equitable access to essential health services, and in preventing poverty due to out-of-pocket payments for health, using new time-bound targets for universal health coverage. These targets, which the World Bank Group and the World Health Organization developed, can be applied to all countries, rich and poor, as envisioned in the post-2015 framework.
These targets will drive policy and program choices that will lead to better heath—such as investing in strong, front-line primary care that is accessible to the poorest and most marginalized communities. Good primary care delivers essential services like antenatal care, skilled birth attendants, child vaccines, blood pressure and diabetes monitoring, and other interventions that prevent health crises and keep health care costs from escalating.
Investing in health also will continue to drive great economic returns. The Lancet Commission on Investing in Health found that nearly a quarter of the growth in full income in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2011 was due to better health outcomes. Universal health coverage is the progressive pathway that will save lives, increase economic growth and help millions of people lift themselves out of poverty.
Achieving universal health coverage by 2030 is possible. Unwavering political commitment, clear progressive goals, and measurable targets will drive the change. Investing in health—and achieving universal health coverage—will help us achieve the development goals to end extreme poverty by 2030 and boost shared prosperity. This is an unprecedented opportunity to achieve these goals and change millions of lives for the better.
Timothy Evans is Senior Director of Health, Nutrition and Population at the World Bank Group. From 2010 to 2013, Tim was Dean of the James P. Grant School of Public Health at BRAC University in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Senior Advisor to the BRAC Health Program. From 2003 to 2010, he was Assistant Director General at the World Health Organization. Prior to this, he served as Director of the Health Equity Theme at the Rockefeller Foundation. Earlier in his career he was an attending physician of internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and was Assistant Professor in International Health Economics at the Harvard School of Public Health.
This article was originally published in the Diplomatic Courier's July/August 2014 print edition. This article was also published in the 2014 Global Action Report, co-produced by Diplomatic Courier and the Global Action Platform.
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Saving Lives, Increasing Economic Growth, and Lifting Millions out of Poverty: The Push for Universal Health Coverage
August 20, 2014
With just under 500 days remaining until the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals, countries are pushing to achieve and exceed all of the goals. Yet, despite our best efforts, our work will not be done when 2015 ends.
Too many people will be dying from preventable causes because they lack access to essential, quality care, or because they cannot afford to pay for the care they need. The development and global health landscapes will continue to change, with half of today’s low-income countries transitioning to become middle-income countries, and chronic conditions—such as heart disease and diabetes—rapidly becoming an even greater threat.
Yet, we know what we need to do to end preventable maternal and child deaths. And we know how we can sharply reduce deaths and disability from chronic illnesses.
The most equitable and sustainable way to achieve the health outcomes we all want by 2030 is through universal health coverage, which means that everyone can access quality, essential health services without struggling to pay for them. Worldwide, one billion people lack access to health care, and about 100 million people face poverty every year as a result of out-of-pocket health care costs.
If we want to end extreme poverty by 2030 and boost shared prosperity, we must reach universal health coverage. Countries like Japan, Thailand, and Turkey have shown the promise of universal health coverage for their people, and more and more countries—like Myanmar, Nigeria, Peru, Senegal, Kenya, South Africa, and the Philippines—are prioritizing universal health coverage.
These countries and others will chart their progress, both in scaling up equitable access to essential health services, and in preventing poverty due to out-of-pocket payments for health, using new time-bound targets for universal health coverage. These targets, which the World Bank Group and the World Health Organization developed, can be applied to all countries, rich and poor, as envisioned in the post-2015 framework.
These targets will drive policy and program choices that will lead to better heath—such as investing in strong, front-line primary care that is accessible to the poorest and most marginalized communities. Good primary care delivers essential services like antenatal care, skilled birth attendants, child vaccines, blood pressure and diabetes monitoring, and other interventions that prevent health crises and keep health care costs from escalating.
Investing in health also will continue to drive great economic returns. The Lancet Commission on Investing in Health found that nearly a quarter of the growth in full income in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2011 was due to better health outcomes. Universal health coverage is the progressive pathway that will save lives, increase economic growth and help millions of people lift themselves out of poverty.
Achieving universal health coverage by 2030 is possible. Unwavering political commitment, clear progressive goals, and measurable targets will drive the change. Investing in health—and achieving universal health coverage—will help us achieve the development goals to end extreme poverty by 2030 and boost shared prosperity. This is an unprecedented opportunity to achieve these goals and change millions of lives for the better.
Timothy Evans is Senior Director of Health, Nutrition and Population at the World Bank Group. From 2010 to 2013, Tim was Dean of the James P. Grant School of Public Health at BRAC University in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Senior Advisor to the BRAC Health Program. From 2003 to 2010, he was Assistant Director General at the World Health Organization. Prior to this, he served as Director of the Health Equity Theme at the Rockefeller Foundation. Earlier in his career he was an attending physician of internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and was Assistant Professor in International Health Economics at the Harvard School of Public Health.
This article was originally published in the Diplomatic Courier's July/August 2014 print edition. This article was also published in the 2014 Global Action Report, co-produced by Diplomatic Courier and the Global Action Platform.
