International Universal Health Coverage Day: Date, history & significance

December 12 is observed as International Universal Health Coverage Day, which aims at raising awareness on the need for strong and resilient health systems and universal health coverage with multi-stakeholder partners.

On December 12, 2012, the United Nations General Assembly had endorsed a resolution urging countries to accelerate progress toward universal health coverage (UHC). The idea was that everyone, everywhere should have access to quality, affordable health care – as an essential priority for international development.

On 12 December, 2017, the United Nations proclaimed December 12 as International Universal Health Coverage Day. On  the day every year, UHC advocates raise their voices to share the stories of millions of people waiting for health, champion what we have achieved so far. They also call on leaders to make bigger and smarter investments in health and encourage diverse groups to make commitments to help move the world closer to UHC by 2030.

“COVID-19  pandemic has been an ongoing moment of reckoning for health systems around the world. While the harsh lessons of the global situation are far from new—and while fears and injustices now making headlines reflect the daily reality of millions before the pandemic—the sheer scale of this crisis has sparked new urgency around health systems and universal health coverage,” said the UN.

In the midst of a global pandemic, we unite to call on leaders to protect everyone with this year’s theme: “Leave No One’s Health Behind: Invest in health systems for all.

The UN has called upon countries to join it to demand action on universal health coverage and also urged leaders to invest in health systems for all.