Universal Health Day 2022

Celebration 2022

This year WHO calls on the people, communities, and organizations of the world to take action to Forge the world we want: a healthy future for all. PAHO makes a call to resume the path towards universal health, in the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic to build Resilient Health Systems, increasing their capacities to move decisively towards the SDGs and the 2030 agenda, move forward with a base on strong social protection and welfare states, preparing for eventual new public health emergencies. All this while maintaining essential health services based on integrated care that is centered on individuals, families, and communities.

Universal Health Day, on December 12, is an opportunity to raise the voices and make visible the situation of individuals, families, and communities that still lack access and coverage to essential, comprehensive, and quality health services based on Primary Health Care (PHC). It highlights the values that support Universal Health: the right to health, equity, and solidarity. It is an official day designated by the United Nations to mark the anniversary of the unanimous endorsement of universal health coverage (UHC) (Universal Health, for the Americas region) in 2012 as a top priority for international development.

The pandemic revealed the interdependence between the economic performance of countries and the protection of the health of populations, confirming that there is no sustainable economic growth without protecting and promoting health and well-being and vice versa. The social and economic crisis characterized by the increase in unemployment, impoverishment, and the exacerbation of long-standing inequities reinforces the need for the articulation of the contributions of different sectors of activity and government for recovery and transformation of the health systems of the Region towards Universal Health, and towards more equitable and resilient societies.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgent need for the transformation of health systems to achieve universal access to health and universal health coverage, based on PHC, as the foundation to build more resilient health systems and societies in the Americas.

Based on the “Strategy for Building Resilient Health Systems and Post-COVID-19 Pandemic Recovery to Sustain and Protect Public Health Gains” (PAHO, 2021), the Region is challenged to transform health systems based on a PHC approach, addressing both the renewal of the essential public health functions, as well as preparing care networks to expand access and respond to eventual new public health emergencies, with sustainable public financing and social protection.

Resuming the path towards Universal Health, building a healthy future for everyone, positions health at the center of the global agenda, calling for action on the structural social determinants of health, through multisectoral action and with the communities in the territories. The lack of welfare states and social protection perpetuates the matrix of inequality in the region. The approach to addressing structural social determinants can be strengthened through strategic alliances to favor social participation and an effort to the intersectionality of the dimensions of inequality.

UHC Day 2022 Events

High-Level meeting: Universal Health Day 12.12.2022

The high-level meeting will seek to deepen the debate on guaranteeing a post pandemic social development agenda that includes and develops society’s and health system’s resilience capacity as a fundamental attribute to protect the life and well-being of the people of the Region. Be sure to register for the event, which will be held Monday, December 12, 10:00 a.m. (EST).

WHO event at the FIFA World Cup Fan Zone in Doha, Qatar, 12 December 2022

Let’s score a goal for health for all! The World Health Organization (WHO) and partners will be celebrating UHC Day at the FIFA World Cup Fan Zone in Doha, Qatar on 12 December 2022.

Global Activities Heatmap

Check the map for advocacy activities happening around the world for this year’s UHC Day campaign! Whether you plan to organize a virtual event, develop social media content, spotlight community stories or make a special announcement, get your event featured on the global map here.

Highlighted Publications

Building Resilient Health Systems to Advance toward Universal Health in the Americas: Lessons from COVID-19

Health and the Economy: A Convergence Needed to Address COVID-19 and Retake the Path of Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean

Without public investment in health systems that are inclusive, comprehensive, and responsive, the region remains highly vulnerable to future threats.

Stories from the field

The Bahamas: Protecting the population with safe and effective medicines and vaccines

Universal health can only be achieved by addressing and identifying factors affecting access and the capacity of health systems to respond to the health needs of the population. There is thus a need to accelerate and scale up coordinated actions across health and other sectors, including social and economic development sectors, to promote systemic transformations.