3 priorities for stronger and more inclusive health systems

3 priorities for stronger and more inclusive health systems

The World Bank is calling for progress on universal health coverage (UHC).

The WHO's 2021 UHC monitoring report shows that even before COVID-19, the world was off-track to reduce financial hardship caused from paying for healthcare out of pocket.

WHO estimates around 115,000 deaths among health and care workers between January 2020 and May 2021.















A nurse examining a newborn during the COVID-19 pandemic.





Image: Stephan Gladieu / World Bank











Nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, progress towards achieving universal health coverage (UHC), has stalled or gone backwards, disproportionately affecting those most left behind. Progress must be accelerated to improve health security and resilience to crisis, and to ensure everyone has access to high-quality healthcare. We call for progress on three priority areas: primary health care, sustainable financing and strengthening the health workforce.

COVID-19 has highlighted the consequences of years of under-investment in health systems. The 2021 UHC Monitoring Report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank highlights slow progress in improving coverage and continuous challenges for health systems to provide financial protection. Emerging lessons from the pandemic indicate disrupted access