MOH launches International Universal Health Coverage Day

The Ministry of Health has launched the International Universal Health Coverage Day to end crisis all over the world and build a safer and healthier future.

The launch which was held on Friday, December 11, 2020, at the Ministry of Health Auditorium was themed ‘Health for All, Protect Everyone’.

Speaking at the event, Chief Director of the Ministry of Health and Member of Parliament-elect of Dormaa Central in the Bono Region, Kwabena Boadu Oku Afari, stated that 12th December is celebrated as International Universal Health Coverage Day worldwide each year and the purpose of the launch is to ensure that every Ghanaian has access to quality health without going through any difficulty.

“Each year on the 12th December, the world celebrates the international universal health coverage day, an official UN-designated day to raise awareness for the need for strong, equitable, and resilient health systems. UHC is based on the principle that everyone, everywhere should have access to quality essential health service without suffering financial hardship” he explained.

Kwabena Boadu further stated that the Ministry is committed to achieving the Universal Health Coverage by 2030.

According to him, it is in this light that the Global Action Plan for healthy lives and wellbeing (GAP) has developed a road map to help them achieve this goal.

“The overall goal of this framework is to increase quality essential health care and population-based services for all by 2030. And the Global Action Plan for healthy lives and wellbeing has developed a UHC roadmap for achieving this goal by 2030.”

The road map is for these purposes:

- Universal access to a better efficiently managed, high-quality primary health system.

- Reduce avoidable maternal adolescent and child deaths and disabilities

– Increase access to responsive clinical and public health emergency services

Even though the International Universal Health Coverage Day was launched on the 11th of December 2020, it is supposed to be celebrated on the 12th of December each year.