People-Centered Health Systems for UHC: How to Put People First While Increasing Health Service Access

Abstract

The vision of universal health coverage (UHC) is that everyone has access to the quality prevention and treatment services they need, without enduring financial hardship as a result of essential health expenditures. UHC programmes pursue this aim by mobilising all viable financial resources, with an emphasis on increasing public funding; by using these resources to strengthen health systems and ensure service quality; and by establishing financial protection mechanisms. This editorial presents examples from Brazil, Bolivia, Ghana, and other countries to show how UHC can be achieved.