Universal Health Coverage and Sexual Reproductive Health

Key Issues

Global Health Access:
- Over half of the world's population lacks access to essential health services.
- 500 million people have fallen into extreme poverty due to unaffordable health expenses.
Impact of COVID-19:
- The pandemic has worsened access to health services, particularly essential sexual and reproductive health services.

Collaboration for Universal Health Coverage (UHC):
- WHO is working with multiple stakeholders to develop tools and guidance for countries to achieve UHC, especially for sexual and reproductive health rights.
Definition of UHC:
- Ensures individuals and communities receive necessary health services without financial hardship.
Strengthening Health Systems:
- Resilience of health systems must be enhanced with a focus on primary health care.

Purpose & Audience:
- Designed for decision makers, researchers, specialists, civil society organizations, and others involved in achieving universal access to sexual and reproductive health services.
Content Overview:
- Provides strategic actions for the planning and implementation of national health policies.
- Guides inclusion of sexual and reproductive health services in health benefit packages.
- Offers operational actions for integrating these services into health systems.
- Addresses accountability processes and measures.

Contextual Factors:
- The handbook discusses economic, social, and cultural contexts that affect access to sexual and reproductive health services.
Case Studies:
- Includes country case studies demonstrating innovative integration of sexual and reproductive health services into primary health care strategies.

Beneficiary Participation:
- Effective progress towards universal access requires the meaningful participation of beneficiaries, especially marginalized groups.

Goal:
- By utilizing the WHO handbook's approaches, we can ensure that every person can achieve their sexual and reproductive rights with lifetime access to quality healthcare.