Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Statement

At the recent Multi-Stakeholder Hearing on Universal Health Coverage (UHC), the Congregation of the Mission offered a written statement in support of UHC and good health and wellbeing globally. Below is the statement offered to the hearing: 

“The Congregation of the Mission would like to emphasize our unwavering support for Universal Health Coverage and the need for it to be implemented for all people, regardless of their nationality or background. Health is a human right, and everyone deserves the opportunity to live as healthy and comfortable of a life as possible. To achieve this, the United Nations needs to continue supporting medical and public health efforts aimed at both disease prevention and treatment. Effective UHC systems must promote healthy lifestyles and work to prevent disease where possible to lessen the burden of preventable diseases on health systems, but also support and equitably provide treatments for diseases that do develop. 

We would also like to highlight the importance of ensuring universal health coverage is able to reach the most marginalized, such as, but not limited to, refugees, people experiencing homelessness, and disabled people, and meet their long-term or complex health needs. It is pivotal that in the UHC systems we envision, no person’s health needs are considered too complicated or too urgent. 
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Improving health is integral to improving livelihoods, and the benefits of implementing UHC go far and beyond health and span across financial-wellbeing, economic opportunity improvement, and gender equity. It is essential that the UHC systems we envision for the future of our global society meet the needs of all, not some, and in order to achieve this, we must listen to communities and individuals and involve them as equal and valuable stakeholders to ensure the needs expressed by communities are being met and accounted for in such UHC systems.” 

​Gracie Bagdon 
Intern