Giving Compass' Take:

• Over 17 million people die every year because of poor health coverage. As this Global Citizen piece argues, we need more functioning hospitals with quality surgical infrastructure in rural areas to stop this crisis.

• How can donors help fund hospitals and global health care systems? Which programs might help international policymakers train more surgeons in developing countries? 

• Here's another example on ways to achieve universal health coverage.

As darkness fell over Haiti, 7-year-old Taina was fast asleep in her bed beneath the window. Her parents eventually decided to turn in for the night and went to turn off the kerosene lamp. Moments later, oil spilled across Taina’s chest and ignited.

Taina’s parents rushed to tamp down the flame, calling for help, but she had already suffered burns of over 30% of her body. In a region without a comprehensive surgical system, they searched for over a month to find a facility that could care for her massive burns.

Eventually they found a hospital that had a general surgeon, an operating room, and the capability to do skin grafts. Over the next two months, Taina underwent repeated operations, slowly healing and regaining use of her burned arms.

She later returned home to finish healing with a plan for follow-up care. If she hadn’t been lucky enough to find this hospital, she would have suffered lifelong disfigurement and possibly even death from infection.

Stories like this are far too common, and they don’t always end happily.

Read the full article about universal health coverage by Rolvix Patterson and John Meara at Global Citizen.