Going Universal: How 24 Developing Countries are Implementing Universal Health Coverage from the Bottom Up

The quest for universal health coverage (UHC) has gathered real momentum
over the past decade, with countries on every continent now taking part. This is
welcome news, since a lack of universal coverage means that hundreds of
millions of people around the world either do not get the health care services
they need, or they have to pay dearly for them, often falling into poverty as a
result. But the UHC agenda also poses an enormous challenge to policy makers
across the globe, and many countries are eager to learn from the experiences
of others as they undertake the long journey toward UHC.

Going Universal: How 24 Developing Countries Are Implementing Universal
Health Coverage Reforms from the Bottom Up draws on a wealth of new
evidence to help enrich the global knowledge base on UHC. It provides a
synthesis of UHC reform programs that placed a special focus on expanding
coverage in ways inclusive of the poor. The main objective was to document
and analyze their experiences based on a systematic data collection effort that
sought to capture in great detail how they have been implementing UHC
reforms. The main chapters oer an in-depth analysis of how countries are
addressing five key challenges: covering people, expanding benefits, managing
money, improving the supply of health care services, and strengthening
accountability.

The UHC reform programs described in the volume are new, massive, and
transformational. Most were launched during the past decade, and together
they now cover more than 2 billion people. But most importantly, the authors
find that the programs are fundamentally changing the way health systems
operate, offering the potential to achieve greater equity and better results for
the money spent. The authors identify key risks that lie ahead, as well as an
emerging agenda that requires more country and global learning. Overall, this
book offers those contributing to the achievement of UHC worldwide a
valuable new resource to help chart a way forward.