[Music] at different stages throughout life we all need health services but today not everyone has it universal health coverage is the most powerful concept that public health has to offer [Music] universal health coverage ensures that all people get the health services they need without suffering financial hardship when paying for it some say it's too costly or limit services but studies consistently show that when well managed to provide quality care it delivers better health outcomes at lower costs indeed some global trends could create challenges more people are living longer and non-communicable diseases like diabetes heart disease and cancers are on the rise together with increasing costs of new cutting-edge treatments the price tag for ensuring all people have the health services they need will inevitably rise if not managed wisely so how do you balance expectations and cost containment while still achieving the best health possible the most important step is to let the people understand the real principle of the you see this is to provide the health the basic healthcare benefits to every people or to all because otherwise if they do not understand the principle it will be very dangerous to the program because there will be a lot of over expectation to the level of recovery that the government have to provide to them in 2012 global support for universal health coverage gathered momentum when the united nations general assembly unanimously adopted a resolution emphasizing health as an essential element of sustainable development few countries have fully achieved universal health coverage but every country can work towards it to get a better understanding of how to do that let's take a look at some countries already making progress like china mexico amman rwanda thailand and turkey their experience can provide lessons for countries just beginning the journey as they move forward countries should take three things into account who is covered which services are covered and at what level of quality and how the services are paid for first who is covered [Music] with 20 of the world's population china is a good place to look to see how to cover as many people as possible in just the past four years 172 million previously uninsured people have been brought into china's health insurance schemes in rural areas coverage has increased from ten percent to ninety seven percent [Music] jungle [Music] recovering from a fracture in her right hand you mean [Music] despite its small population challenges remain because some of its communities are widely dispersed [Music] the population is only around 3 million but the area is over 330 000 square kilometers more than ninety five percent of our population clusters are less than five hundred two hundred primary health care centers have now been established around the country one within half an hour of even the most remote village often a large proportion of a health budget goes to hospital care and treatment of chronic and expensive diseases but in oman the health centers help reduce these costs by focusing on prevention and early diagnosis [Music] for other countries the focus is on expanding the type of services provided and at what level of quality in mexico for example a comprehensive health package called the people's insurance ensures everyone has access to primary health care such as vaccinations and skilled health workers during childbirth el reto que like many countries mexico is seeing the rise of expensive diseases requiring long-term treatment such as diabetes and cancer the insurance scheme is expanding to meet these needs [Music] commissions patients like solazano alida see the benefit first hand she was diagnosed with breast cancer in two thousand and eleven winter intervention in the past the high cost meant one third of patients dropped out of treatment or did not even start until very late since it began reforming its health system 10 years ago turkey has increased coverage to 98 percent of its people and expanded the range of services available prevention and improved maternal and child programs are showing impact maternal mortality has almost halved and 97 of children are reached with essential vaccines thailand also began its journey towards universal coverage 10 years ago like in turkey it's not just access to primary and emergency care to meet increasing health needs for expensive treatments such as kidney dialysis the government is finding innovative ways to expand services while containing costs for example this home-based kidney dialysis device allows 37 year old rang fong to continue her work as a seamstress while caring for her 73 year old diabetic mother at home this saves trips to the clinic three times [Music] perhaps the biggest challenge on the journey to universal health coverage is how to cover the cost a unique aspect of rwanda's health system is that 55 of the budget is managed at the community level and progress is measured against specific health targets you clearly set how that is going to be measured and then measure it and have people accountable not just accountable to their seniors but also accountable to the population the government covers the insurance premiums for the poorest 25 percent of the population in the last decade coverage has increased from 7 to 97 people are living 10 years longer child mortality has been cut by half and deaths from malaria have dropped by two-thirds as you can see from these examples each country's road to universal coverage varies depending on its own health needs there is no one size fit or model countries must take into account their you know historical development their health system capacities and also their ability in terms of the speed and the scope of coverage to move over time but the essential ingredient in all these examples is providing basic primary care to everyone to prevent diseases from ever starting or diagnosing them early when they're much more treatable this is a step every country can take and providing health services and care for everyone creates a healthier community for all of us this is key to making health care affordable and helping as many people as possible live longer and healthier lives [Music]