H.E. Dr Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Health & Family Welfare; Hon’ble Mr Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare,
A very good afternoon to you all.
My congratulations to the Hon’ble Minister for organizing this event to celebrate UHC Day.
I also congratulate the recipients of today’s awards, whose focus on primary health care is very welcome.
It has been inspiring to be part of this rich discussion.
I appreciate the event’s focus on distinct areas of action with a view to contributing to a greater goal: UHC.
It is too often forgotten that achieving UHC requires multifaceted, complementary work.
As the policy labs made clear, concurrent gains are needed to make meaningful progress.
All roads must lead towards UHC – yes, within the health sector, but also beyond it.
It is for this reason that achieving UHC is given such prominence in the Sustainable Development Goals.
Our responsibility is great. We must ‘keep the promise’ and achieve health for all – the theme of today’s celebration.
I welcome India’s pursuit of UHC, which has been one of the South-East Asia Region’s Flagship Priorities since 2014.
India’s National Health Policy provides a very good template to achieve SDG 3 and the UHC target.
In moving forward, India will build on recent health sector successes such as Mission Indradhanush, in addition to cross-sector efforts such as the Ujjwala Yojana and the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
I am certain that with concerted action India will achieve its goals.
The lessons learned in India will be of great consequence, both here and elsewhere.
Four areas stand out.
The first is India’s efforts to increase public spending on health.
If judiciously allocated, this increase could substantially reduce catastrophic out-of-pocket health spending while reducing impoverishment, enhancing productivity, generating decent jobs and advancing equitable development.
It is imperative that the NHP target of allocating 2.5% of gross domestic product to health by 2025 is achieved.
The second is the effective and equitable implementation of the twin pillars of the Ayushman Bharat.
The provision of comprehensive primary health care, including for NCDs and mental health, is critical to achieving UHC. The health and wellness centers now being created should serve this purpose well.
The PMJAY has made a promising beginning and with improved coverage it should help avert catastrophic spending among the poor.
The third area is India’s efforts to increase the availability of competent health workers with the right skill mix.
Recent regulatory reforms, the expansion of medical education and the decision to provide primary care through community health officers are important steps. They lay the foundations needed to dramatically improve service delivery.
India’s success in this area will significantly contribute towards the Region’s Decade for Health Workforce Strengthening, in which all Member States have participated since 2015.
The fourth and final point is the need to harness the potential of information and communications technology to improve access and quality and reduce costs.
To that end, I welcome India’s National Digital Health Blueprint, which provides a solid roadmap to achieve an enabling digital health ecosystem, and to also monitor progress on UHC more reguarly and effectively.
Excellencies, experts and participants,
Leaving no one behind is both a political and technical agenda.
Achieving UHC and the SDG targets requires government stewardship and active partnerships with the private sector, civil society and communities.
By 2023, just three years away, we will have reached the halfway point of the SDGs.
We will also be at the endpoint of WHO’s General Programme of Work and its triple billion targets.
I am confident that India will continue to lead by example, both in the Region and beyond, and make key contributions in implementing the Region’s ‘Sustain. Accelerate. Innovate’ vision.
WHO stands ready to support.
Yes, the promise of UHC is bold. But as today’s event emphasizes, it is a promise that we can and must keep.
Thank you.