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Though the High-level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage was full of self-indulgent and far-from-reality speeches, we managed to rescue some inspiring messages that broke the mold.

Source: corresponsalesclave.org
By Javier Hourcade Bellocq

Among the two partner and stakeholder panels, we identified some interesting messages we would like to share:

Winnie Byanyima
Executive Director at Oxfam, elected Executive Director at UNAIDS

“There may be people without the necessary money to access health services, and that is how health and wealth are connected. A thousand people will die today, in one day, because they do not have the resources to access health services. People do not stay behind; they are pushed behind. We have to close this gap between the rich and the poor, between men and women, and reject economic models that prioritize (economic) benefits over health.

I differ with people saying that there is not enough money, because, for instance, we see how public funds are used to maintain private hospitals instead of supporting public health. Governments must collect money from the richest people through innovative taxes. The movement of (people with) HIV has shown what we can achieve when we get together against big companies, such as pharmaceutical companies. I applaud the call for transparency in drug and supply prices included in the Political Declaration.

If countries choose to have health systems controlled by big companies, we will not achieve the necessary coverage. Governments must reject what we already know that does not work. We can do this!”

Michele Bachelet
High Commissioner for Human Rights

“I am a medical doctor and former Minister of Health of Chile, and I can certify that people live better now, which is why we have to agree on the fact that healthy societies are key to achieving all the Sustainable Development Goals. Even so, it is crucial that we focus on health, as more than 50% of people do not have access to health services. We see how communities struggle to survive, access and take on health expenses instead of being able to work and move forward. 930 million people in the world spend 10% of their income on health. It is a matter of life or death to protect people from these terrible expenses.

Inequality, discrimination and poverty do not allow certain populations to access health services; women, girls, teenagers, the LGBTQI community, the poor and indigenous populations, among others, have less access to health. Sexual and reproductive health empower women to make their own decisions. UHC is viable, and we have seen how a lot of countries built their systems when they were in dire straits after World War II. So, why cannot other nations do the same?

Looking after health is linked to human rights!”

Jeffrey Sachs – Economist

“I will talk about money, because it is a matter of money, not anything else. What do we need to help poor people? Money. Providing rudimentary health services costs at least 100 dollars per year in poor countries, but only 32 dollars are invested per year there and the lacking amount leads to deaths.

When poor countries are asked why they do not provide coverage, they never talk about the uncomfortable truth: the more money is invested in public health, the more lives will be saved. Millions of lives have been saved thanks to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Five million lives could be saved in poor countries with only 1% of the annual gross income of rich countries. The Global Fund is requesting less than half of what it needs. Why so? Because the Fund has carried out a research and has determined the offer, that is the amount of money donor countries could contribute to it. So, to please them, it just requested said amount, which is half of what it needs. In other words, it is a game of letting them give what they say they can give. (Name the 15 richest people and families in the world, they must have a trillion together), yet with (just) 50 billion per year, which is the fifth part, we could cover the needs for AIDS, TB and malaria. If we cannot face the basic stuff, like the role and financial responsibility of the rich part of the world, 5 million children will die from preventable and treatable diseases.

On a long weekend, the Pentagon spends 2 billion. With said amount, we could put an end to malaria, and with five days of the Pentagon’s expenses we would end AIDS. […] We have professionals, we have technology, but we lack the money. Let’s tell the rich countries to “end tax heavens and tax evasion, and invest the resources to save 5 million children.”

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Chairman of the GAVI Board (the Vaccine Alliance)

“Health is not a matter of income; it is a fundamental human right,” said Nelson Mandela. I believe it is a matter of both: there is no health without resources. It is necessary to accelerate the investment in health by including the mobilization of domestic resources. It is a challenge in terms of planning and budget, because this goes beyond health coverage: towards the achievement of all the Sustainable Development Goals, and sustainable and inclusive growth.

It is crucial that we convince finance or economy ministers about the importance of investing in health at the right time. Universal Health Coverage means economic growth, which will not be possible without health. Even so, we can develop an investment case to convince them. Health increases resources. For instance, in the field of vaccines and immunizations, a country will recover 54 dollars for each dollar invested. For the GAVI Alliance, during the 2021-2025 period, 45% of our funds will come from countries and not from our traditional donors. It is important to introduce the concept of Domestic Resource Use (DRU), which is the challenge of obtaining more and better results in the field of health with the existing money invested. According to data from WHO, 42% of the global health budget is lost to corruption. We have to be more efficient not only with local resources, but also with the resources provided by the International Cooperation for Development to implement support initiatives. The best way to ensure investment in health is by prioritizing nutrition, immunization and health promotion. It is essential that health and economy ministries take on the responsibility of providing health coverage for their people. Just like an African proverb says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together!”

In light of these messages, a critical analysis of the health coverage situation in each of our countries is essential for timely achieving the 2030 Agenda.

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