By design, the health systems of today too often exclude people from care. To ensure communities can access the care they need and deserve, we need system strengthening and system change at an unprecedented scale.

According to the World Health Organization, half of the world’s population cannot access essential health services, with doctors, nurses, and facilities either inaccessible, unaffordable, or under-resourced. Millions of community health workers (CHWs) worldwide bridge these gaps in health systems. They provide basic health care to the world’s hardest-to-reach communities and link them to the broader healthcare system.

Research spanning several decades shows that CHWs have immense potential to improve maternal and child health outcomes in underserved communities. However, inadequately trained, equipped, or supervised CHWs may have little or no impact at all. In tandem with renewed investments in community health systems, global health stakeholders have been trying to harness the enthusiasm around digital technologies to improve health care. But even after years of interest and effort, many health system technologies still fall short of what health workers and patients need and deserve.

No one should die waiting for health care. Together, we have the tools, the systems, and the evidence to improve coverage and end preventable deaths. Sometimes, this begins by supporting the backbone of health care systems: health providers, including CHWs.

Read the full article about universal health coverage by Jacqueline Edwards and Ari Johnson at Skoll.