Universal Health Coverage and Social Health Protection: Policy relevance to health system financing reforms

Abstract

Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and Social Health Protection (SHP) are key policy foci that cut across all dimensions of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals agenda. Understanding of these two concepts, their fundamentals and relations would improve health policy development and implementation to attain UHC and effectively protect the health of people and save lives and livelihoods. The COVID‐19 pandemic has provided useful lessons to improve multi‐sector activities to strengthen and finance health and social protection systems. The aim of this article is to provide conceptual clarity on the contribution of the global frameworks on SHP to the policy goal of UHC. In doing so, the article contributes to health financing and social security related policy discussions and advocates for much needed integrated policy actions at global as well as country levels. It discusses the origins of the two concepts and the relevance of SHP to health systems financing for UHC. Although country situations differ, the main findings, especially for low‐ and middle‐income countries, are highlighted and summarized.

Long-term care in the context of population ageing

“…134) require that such health services be comprehensive and emphasize the need to include prevention, screening, which is crucial for early detection, and support to behavioural changes over the life course. In this regard, they are strongly aligned with the approach promoted by the Alma Ata Declaration on Primary Health Care (Bayarsaikhan et al, 2022).…”

Have Social Policy Responses to COVID-19 Been Institutionalised?

“…• A "four-day-week" has the potential to address many of the societal challenges left by the COVID-19 pandemic (Bayarsaikhan et al, 2022) Global (focus on low-and middle-income countries)…”

“…Chung (2022) set the case for a four-day week to reduce the societal costs of long-hour work culture. Also, the pandemic has provided lessons to strengthen universal and affordable health coverage and social protection systems (Akinleye et al ., 2020; Gaffney et al ., 2020; Bayarsaikhan et al ., 2022). In South Africa, the pandemic deepened the unequal treatment of different categories of non-citizens.…”

Long‐term care in the context of population ageing: What role for social protection policies?

“…In line with the objective of universal health coverage (UHC), social protection systems ought to guarantee access to health care without hardship that meets the criteria of availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality (Bayarsaikhan, Tessier and Ron, 2022). By lowering financial barriers to access a comprehensive range of quality health interventions, social health protection contributes to improving continuous access to health care throughout the life cycle.…”