Giving Compass' Take:

· The United Nations Foundation is thinking of innovative, multi-sector solutions to address Universal Health Coverage and make progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Here, The UN Foundation addresses the private sector to bring new voices to the conversation around equitable health systems that leave no one behind.

· How can organizations in the private sector help countries expand national health budgets? How can we fully optimize the private sector to achieve Universal Health Coverage?

· This is how to overcome the discrimination barrier to achieve Universal Health Coverage.

Out-of-pocket spending on health care continues to increase around the world – accounting for 50% of total health care spending in African countries and up to 80% in some South Asian nations. This spending pushes millions of people into poverty each year. For many families, choosing between their next meal and lifesaving health care remains a harsh and costly reality.

The movement toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC), well-captured in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the World Health Organization’s ambitious new five-year General Programme of Work, is a main driver for health and well-being as well as the eradication of poverty and inequality.

UHC aims to provide affordable, high-quality health care to every man, woman, and child across the globe, regardless of income, racial ethnicity, or the stability of a country. Financial protection is also a key pillar of UHC to help ensure that no one is forced into poverty due to health care costs.

Read the full article about building health systems for the future by Kate Dodson at United Nations Foundation.