Just over one year on from the UN high-level meeting on UHC, the State of UHC Commitment
review examines a simple question: Are governments taking action towards meeting their
UHC commitments?
The key findings are that, in many countries, poor and vulnerable groups are once again being
left behind, and inequities are widening due to the COVID-19 crisis. People are anxious about
their health, their finances and their futures, and trust in government and political leaders
is eroding in some countries. The COVID-19 pandemic is also exposing and exacerbating
weaknesses in health systems, showing that many governments neglected to invest in
health, social safety nets and emergency preparedness when it really mattered: before a crisis
struck. Even countries with stronger health systems could have been better prepared for this
emergency. There is still much to be done to ensure adequate support for front-line health
workers, to meaningfully engage all stakeholders in decision-making and to ensure genderequitable responses. Furthermore, many countries have not adopted measurable national
targets, and public awareness of governments’ commitments remains limited…more