BY DELISA THWALA
MALKERNS– Everyone has a right to health regardless of religion, age and race.
In partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Ministry of Health is calling for Universal health coverage.
This discussion took place earlier today at House on Fire. This follows the endorsement by MTN Bushfire taking place this coming weekend.
Universal health coverage means that all people have access to the full range of quality health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship. It covers the full continuum of essential health services, from health promotion to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care.
The panel which consisted of Health practitioners and Sibusiso Mngadi said every country has a different path to achieving UHC and deciding what to cover based on the needs of their people and the resources at hand.
However, the importance of access to health services and information as a basic human right is universal.
Mngadi said to make health for all a reality, all people must have access to high-quality services for their health and the health of their families and communities. To do so, skilled health workers providing quality, people-centred care; and policy-makers committed to investing in universal health coverage are essential.
“Universal health coverage requires strong, people-centred primary health care. Good health systems are rooted in the communities they serve. They focus not only on preventing and treating disease and illness but also on helping to improve well-being and quality of life,” said Mgadi.
Meanwhile, Rejoice Nkambule, an assistant Editor advocate for health, said they were impressed by MTN BUSHFIRE’s commitment to the life of Emaswati.
She said WHO’s work is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) target 3.8, which focuses on achieving universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.
“The UHC service coverage index (SDG indicator 3.8.1) increased from 45 in 2000 to 67 in 2019, but 30 per cent of the world’s population still cannot access essential services.
“Almost 2 billion people are facing catastrophic or impoverishing health spending (SDG indicator 3.8.2) and inequalities continue to be a fundamental challenge for UHC as aggregated data masks within-country inequalities in service coverage,” she said. In addition, she said the Covid-19 pandemic further disrupted services and exacerbated financial hardship and inequities. Nkambule said WHO has a range of evidence-informed approaches and tools to support countries get back on track towards the progressive realization of UHC and Health for All.
