Initial situation
At least half of the world's population does not have access to essential health services. Moreover, around 800 million people spend more than 10 per cent of their income on health. And almost 100 million people lose their lives every year as a result of illness. Preventive services, such as vaccinations or education, are underfunded in many places. Health systems often cannot respond adequately to changing needs, such as climate change, natural disasters or disease outbreaks, as the Ebola outbreak in West Africa from 2013-2016 shows.
By focusing on disease-specific programmes under the Millennium Development Goals, the situation has not been improved sustainably. In many countries, health systems are underfunded and fragmented by loose parallel structures.
Objectives
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development mentions Universal Health Coverage (UHC, SDG 3.8) as a guiding concept for health policy action. UHC ensures access to health services for all, without exposing them to financial hardships. Health systems respond flexibly to changes in the social, economic and ecological environment.
Methodological approach
The sector programme is working towards a coherent global health policy to achieve UHC. The working level for this is UHC2030, the global movement to build stronger health systems for UHC, and Providing for Health (P4H), a social protection and health financing network. UHC is supported by financial contributions of the German Federal Ministry of Health. Through bilateral cooperation, the sector programme supports the implementation of UHC in partner countries using approaches that involve different administrative units. The project collaborates closely with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation through a co-financing agreement.
External Links
P4H, Social Health Protection Network https://p4h.world/en/