On Universal Health Coverage Day (UHC Day), the World Health Organization (WHO) teams up with international football icons to urge governments and people around the world to take action to achieve health for all. UHC ensures that everyone, everywhere can get the support they need and stay healthy without falling into economic hardship.
To mark UHC Day, WHO is launching two new tools: one to help governments design and deliver appropriate service coverage packages for their populations; and a second to provide people with reliable information to support everyday decisions to protect their health and well-being.
“The World Cup is football’s greatest prize, and life’s greatest prize is good health and well-being,” said WHO Director-General Dr. “Health is not a luxury for the rich, but a basic human right, and the foundation of peaceful, prosperous and sustainable economies and societies. The tools we are launching today will help governments and individuals realize that right.”
UHC Day 2022 comes at a critical time when countries around the world are rebuilding from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic while facing many other crises such as economic and energy constraints, climate change and conflict.
UHC Day begins the countdown to the high-level meeting on UHC that will be held at the United Nations General Assembly in 2023. Heads of State and Government, at the first high-level meeting on UHC in 2019, affirmed that health is a prerequisite and outcome and indicator for the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. They strongly committed to achieving UHC by 2030 by scaling up the global effort to build a healthier world for all. The 2023 meeting is an opportunity to take stock of progress and galvanize political support and global action to achieve the UHC goals.
UHC Day at the FIFA World Cup
On the eve of the semi-finals of the FIFA World Cup 2022™, WHO and its Goodwill Ambassador for Sport and Health, football legend Didier Drogba, led the celebration of UHC Day in Doha, Qatar. This is part of a full day of activities organized by the Education Above All Foundation to address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being.
“I found myself in an unusual place where if I had a problem on the field, help arrived quickly, and we’ve seen how important that support can be recently. But off the field, we know, this is not always the case,” said Didier Drogba. “Ill-equipped clinics, unsupported health workers and insufficient medicines and vaccines threaten the well-being of people worldwide. Good health requires a team effort, so we need governments to commit to policies that support universal health coverage and give everyone access to what they need to be healthy. When we team up for health for all, we all win.
Football enthusiasts of all ages stepped forward to show their support for health for all as electronic dance artist and singer, The Mad Stuntman performed his hit song, “I Like to Move It,” highlighting the importance of being active and the role of sports in sports. Promoting good health and well-being.
Sherry Silver, a Rwandan-British MTV award-winning choreographer, advocate for the United Nations’ International Fund for Agricultural Development, Malaria No More ambassador and Rwandan development advocate, also led the crowd in a dance-off known as the World Cup Workout.
Alison Baker, Brazil and Liverpool goalkeeper and WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Health Promotion, said, “On Universal Health Coverage Day, let’s all get active and do our part to make health for all our targets.
A new WHO tool to help countries deliver UHC
Achieving national health goals has been hampered by the lack of a structured approach to designing and delivering a comprehensive package of health services tailored to local contexts.
WHO is launching a new tool called Universal health coverage service package delivery and implementation or the UHC SPDI tool to assist countries in designing their unique UHC health service packages. This innovative and practical online tool includes functions that will allow national health planners to select from a broad range of health services—promotional, preventive, regenerative, curative, rehabilitative, and palliative services—that people need to reach the highest attainable standard of health and well-being.
The tool is also designed to help identify human resource requirements, essential medical products, infrastructure and other components required for effective delivery of health services. It also emphasizes first contact primary and emergency care, and highlights the primary health care approach as a basis for strengthening health systems and bringing all sectors under the vision of achieving health for all. Successful implementation of the National Health Service Package will ultimately equip countries to accelerate progress towards UHC.
Universal Health Information for “Health for All”.
WHO also launched a digital resource for the public, “Your Life, Your Health: Tips and Information for Health and Wellness” It provides people at different stages of life with reliable health information that they can easily access, understand and use in their daily lives.
Notes for editors and reporters:
About Universal Health Coverage Day
Universal Health Coverage Day (UHC Day) on December 12 is an annual rallying point for advocates to raise their voices and share the stories of the millions who are still waiting for health, calling on leaders to invest smarter in health and reminding the world. Requirement of UHC. It is an official United Nations-designated day marking the anniversary of the unanimous endorsement of UHC in 2012 as an essential priority for international development.
The theme of UHC Day 2022 is “Building the World We Want: A Healthy Future for All.”
Visit the campaign page at https://www.who.int/campaigns/universal-health-coverage-day/2022
About a healthy FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™
WHO and the State of Qatar have partnered with FIFA on the Healthy 2022 World Cup project. It aims to ensure that the tournament remains a healthy and safe event and the measures in place and lessons learned will help deliver healthy and safe mega sporting events in the future.
The project aims to ensure both the delivery and legacy of a healthy and safe FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, setting the event as an impactful, sustainable and lasting model that promotes the integration of health, safety and wellbeing for future megas. sporting events.
Learn more about the WHO Sports and Health Programme: https://www.who.int/initiatives/sports-and-health
The resource provides basic information, based on WHO technical guidance, on important topics such as how to stay healthy and active during pregnancy and after childbirth. It also provides information about people’s rights and skills related to accessing and using information for health and well-being.
