Delegates at the World Health Assembly agreed three resolutions on universal health coverage (UHC). They focus on: primary healthcare, the role of community health workers, and the September UN General Assembly high-level meeting on UHC.
The first resolution requires Member States to take measures to implement the Declaration of Astana, adopted at the 2018 Global Conference on Primary Health Care.
It recognizes the key role strong primary health care plays in ensuring countries can provide the full range of health services a person needs throughout their life – be it disease prevention or treatment, rehabilitation or palliative care. Primary health care means countries must have quality, integrated health systems, empowered individuals and communities, and that they must involve a wide range of sectors in addressing social, economic, and environmental determinants of health.
The resolution calls on the WHO secretariat to increase its support to Member States in this area. WHO is also required to finalize its Primary Health Care Operational Framework in time for next year’s World Health Assembly. WHO and other stakeholders are tasked with supporting countries in implementing the Declaration of Astana and mobilizing resources to build strong and sustainable primary health care.
The second resolution recognizes the contribution made by community health workers to achieving universal health coverage, responding to health emergencies, and promoting healthier populations. It urges countries and partners to use WHO’s guideline on health policy and system support to optimize community health worker program, and to allocate adequate resources. At the same time, the WHO Secretariat is requested to collect and evaluate data, monitor implementation of the guideline, and provide support to Member States.
The final UHC resolution endorsed by delegates supports preparation for the UN General Assembly high-level meeting on universal health coverage in September 2019. The resolution calls on Member States to accelerate progress towards universal health coverage with a focus on poor, vulnerable and marginalized individuals and groups.
Original source: WHO
Published on 22 May 2019
