The Road to Universal Health Coverage

Innovation, Equity, and the New Health Economy

Christian Franz, Jeffrey L. Sturchio, Ilona Kickbusch, Louis Galambos

• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Year: 2019
• eBook ISBN: 9781421429564
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Health Policy

How can countries chart their own course toward universal health coverage?

Like many ambitious global goals, universal health coverage (UHC) remains an aspiration for many countries. The World Health Organization estimates that half the world's population lacks access to basic health services. Moreover, this already staggering number masks inequities that exist between and within countries: gaps between rich and poor, men and women, young and old, and among people of different ethnic backgrounds. UHC promises to give all people greater access to higher quality health services without the fear of financial hardship. But the task of turning this vision into reality poses a significant challenge for countries at all stages of economic development.

In The Road to Universal Health Coverage, Jeffrey L. Sturchio, Ilona Kickbusch, Louis Galambos, and their contributors explore the ways in which the private sector is already helping countries achieve universal health coverage. Stressing the many positive aspects of UHC developments, the book focuses on the new health economy and the sometimes controversial dimensions of the private sector helping countries achieve UHC. Theoretical chapters are complemented by a series of case studies that explore the myriad ways in which private sector actors are already addressing UHC.

What are the conditions required for countries to translate their successful experiences and policy promises into practical results for improved population health? In answering this question, the contributors examine the relationship between health employment and economic growth. They also analyze the critical success factors for private sector engagement in UHC, the role of healthy women in creating and sustaining healthy economies, and the role of the pharmaceutical sector. Looking to the political, economic, and social implications of moving from aspiration to implementation, The Road to Universal Health Coverage points the way to the many opportunities ahead as companies continue to work with governments and civil society partners to help achieve UHC.

Jean-Louise Arcand, Héctor Arreola-Ornelas, Nathan J. Blanchet, Christine Bugos, Jim Campbell, John Campbell, Jr., Ibadat Dhillon, Donika Dimovska, Christian Franz, Michael Fürst, Louis Galambos, Belén Garijo, Adeel Ishtiaq, Sowmya Kadandale, Ilona Kickbusch, Felicia Marie Knaul, Jeremy Lauer, Robert Marten, Justin McCarthy, Harald Nusser, K. Srinath Reddy, Yasmine Rouai, Jeffrey L. Sturchio, Cicely Thomas, Tana Wuliji, Snow Yang, Pascal Zurn

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Foreword, by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
• Preface
• Introduction. The Road to Universal Health Coverage: Progress, Prospects, and the Private Sector
• 1. Conceptualizing the Health Economy
• 2. The Relationship between Health Employment and Economic Growth
• 3. Engagement of the Private Sector in Advancing Universal Health Coverage: Understanding and Navigating Major Factors for Success
• 4. Innovative Initiatives from the Private Sector: What Have the Experiences Been? What Opportunities Lie Ahead, and How Can They Be Harnessed More Effectively?
• 5. Healthy Women, Healthy Economies: Essential Facets of Universal Health Coverage
• 6. Reframing the Pharmaceutical Sector Contribution to Access to Medicines and Universal Health Coverage: A Business Ethics Perspective
• 7. The Private Sector Joins the Trek on India’s Meandering Path to Universal Health Coverage
• 8. A Reality Check: Sierra Leone, the Private Sector, Sustainable Development Goal 3, and Universal Health Coverage
• 9. How Can the Private Sector Help Countries to Achieve Quality, Sustainable Universal Health Coverage? Pfizer’s Fight against Chronic Diseases
• 10. Novartis Social Business: A Novel Approach to Expanding Healthcare in Developing Countries
• Conclusion. The Outlook for Universal Health Coverage and the New Health Economy
• List of Contributors
• Index