World Health Day 2018 and universal health coverage

World Health Day 7 April 2018. In this 70th anniversary year, The World Health Organisation (WHO) is calling on world leaders to live up to the pledges they made when they agreed the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, and commit to concrete steps to advance the health of all people. This means ensuring that everyone, everywhere can access essential quality health services without facing financial hardship.

Key facts:

  • At least half of the world’s population still do not have full coverage of essential health services.
  • About 100 million people are still being pushed into “extreme poverty” (living on US$1.90 or less a day) because they have to pay for health care.
  • Over 800 million people (almost 12 percent of the world’s population) spent at least 10 percent of their household budgets to pay for health care.
  • All UN Member States have agreed to try to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030, as part of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Click here for more information about World Health Day 7 April 2018 and click here for information about the UN’s Universal Health Care Goals.