India’s transgender people gain access to social health insurance

April 12, 2023

India’s transgender people gain access to social health insurance

In an inspiring example of Germany’s feminist development policy in action, the Indo-German Universal Health Coverage (IGUHC) project is supporting the Government of India to extend social health insurance to the transgender community, upholding their rights to free, quality health services.

A critical juncture for SORMAS: from national to regional outlook and beyond

December 8, 2022

A critical juncture for SORMAS: from national to regional outlook and beyond

SORMAS (Surveillance Outbreak Response Management & Analysis System) is increasingly recognised as a digital system that can provide policy-relevant data and management support across the One Health domains - not only at local and national level, but potentially at regional and global levels too.

Reimagining health systems for a billion people with disabilities

December 7, 2022

Reimagining health systems for a billion people with disabilities

New Missing Billion report draws attention to the unmet health needs of people living with disabilities and draws up roadmap for action to ensure they are ‘expected, accepted and connected’.

WHS 2022: Debating the place of SRHR in achieving ‘health for all’

October 27, 2022

WHS 2022: Debating the place of SRHR in achieving ‘health for all’

In the context of the triple crisis of climate change, conflict and pandemics, development leaders and young people discuss the importance of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) as a core component of Universal Health Coverage (UHC)

WHS 2022: Health investments are smart investments

October 20, 2022

WHS 2022: Health investments are smart investments

At a WHS 2022 session on financing and strengthening health systems, global leaders and politicians unanimously agreed on the urgent need to invest in systems for community health, as a fail-safe, high-return investment for stronger health systems and building resilience for future pandemics

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Universal Health Coverage

Under Universal Health Coverage all people have access to adequate healthcare without suffering financial hardship paying for it.

Access to healthcare is a human right. Yet, more than half of the world’s population currently does not have full coverage of essential health services. Over 90 million people a year are pushed into extreme poverty (having to live on less than US$1.90 a day) because they have to pay for health care or are unable to work due to illness. In 2005, all member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) subscribed to the goal of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) – ensuring that all people have access to healthcare without suffering financial hardship paying for it. 

’Universal health coverage (UHC) means that all people and communities can use the promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative health services they need, of sufficient quality to be effective, while also ensuring that the use of these services does not expose the user to financial hardship’ (WHO, 2019).

Ensuring financial protection for all is a complex and lengthy undertaking that raises numerous systemic – and redistributive – questions about how a state intends to guarantee and promote a basic human right of its citizens. Supporting partner countries in this endeavour is one of the priorities of German development cooperation in health and social protection, as reflected in the articles, events and studies presented on this page. 

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