International Universal Health Coverage Day: Date, History, theme & significance

When we say "Health is Wealth," we mean that a person's health is one of the most important factors to consider. Everyone has the right to the best service at any time they require it, without having to worry about financial troubles. International Universal Health Coverage Day is marked on December 12th, with the goal of raising awareness among multi-stakeholder partners about the importance of strong and resilient health systems and universal health coverage.

Health Coverage Day history

The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution on December 12, 2012, urging countries to expedite efforts toward universal health care (UHC). As a crucial objective for international development, everyone, everywhere should have access to high-quality, affordable health care.

The United Nations declared December 12 as International Universal Health Coverage Day on December 12, 2017. Every year on this day, advocates for Universal Health Care raise their voices to share the tales of millions of people waiting for health and to celebrate what we have accomplished so far. They also encourage leaders to make larger and more strategic investments in health, as well as different organisations to make commitments to help bring the world closer to universal health coverage by 2030.

Health Coverage Day theme

In the midst of a worldwide pandemic, the UN's theme this year is "Leave No One Behind When It Comes to Health: Invest in Health Systems for All," which calls on leaders to protect everyone. A unifying point for Universal Health Coverage Day is deciding on a course of action to keep leaders, health systems, and international states accountable to the promise of health for all. Everyone, everywhere, deserves access to high-quality health care in both times of crisis and calm.

Approximately 800 million people, or nearly 12% of the world's population, spent at least 10% of their household budgets on health care, according to a report. Approximately 100 million people are still living in extreme poverty as a result of healthcare costs. At least half of the world's population does not have complete access to basic health services. The United Nations Member States pledged to attain Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030 in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals.

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