12 December 2021, Dubai – Today, the world celebrates Universal Health Coverage Day – the annual rallying point for the growing movement to ensure the right to health for every one, everywhere.

Universal Health Coverage Day marks the anniversary of the United Nations’ historic and unanimous endorsement of a resolution in 2012 urging countries to accelerate progress towards universal health coverage (UHC) – aimed at ensuring that people can access the quality health services they need, without suffering financial hardship.

The theme of this year’s campaign is “Leave no one’s health behind: Invest in health systems for all”. It reflects the vital importance of building stronger, safer and fairer health systems that can provide essential health care services to all who need them in a timely manner, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Countries of WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region joined the global movement for UHC, reinforcing their commitment to achieve UHC through the Salalah Declaration of 2018 and the United Nations High-Level Meeting on UHC in 2019. However, progress since then has been mixed, and the COVID-19 pandemic has represented a huge setback.

“The pandemic has exposed weaknesses in health systems globally and, in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, exacerbated health inequities and made the situation of vulnerable populations even more precarious. Health systems in our Region have been put under extreme pressure, with severe disruption to immunization campaigns and other essential health services,” Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said in a joint celebration co-hosted today by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health and Prevention of the United Arab Emirates at EXPO 2020 Dubai.

In his speech during the opening of the celebration, His Excellency Abdul Rahman Bin Mohammed Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention in the United Arab Emirates, thanked WHO for choosing the United Arab Emirates to host this global event to strengthen capacities, step up efforts, and take advantage of accumulated experiences and knowledge to bring about tangible changes to benefit humanity and public health.

"By hosting this event, which coincides with the celebrations of the UAE’s 50th National Day, in cooperation with WHO and Expo 2020 Dubai, we are sending a positive message to revive hope and optimism for the world that we are able to build together a better and healthy future for generations to come and to promote equal opportunities in health services around the world, which is a basic human right and a basic priority to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals," added Al Owais.

The health minister affirmed the United Arab Emirates support for hosting joint international initiatives and events to promote UHC, based on the values of fraternity, human solidarity, and equality of rights, which are fundamental pillars of the country’s directions.

He shed light on the role played by the United Arab Emirates in supporting medical and humanitarian aid and vaccination campaigns around the world, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The UAE has also demonstrated exceptional capabilities in pandemic management and governance, thanks to the efficiency of its health system, national resilience in coping with all changes, and its global leadership in providing vaccines, which contributed to preserving the state’s gains and international participation in planning the recovery phase of the COVID-19 pandemic," Al Owais said in conclusion.

During his participation in the Walk the Talk event held earlier today, as part of marking UHC day, H.E. Abdulla Bin Mohamed Al Hamed, Chairman of the Department of Health for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, said:

“I’m thrilled to be participating in this event, right here in the heart of EXPO 2020 Dubai, the important global platform that is shedding light on a range of prominent global topics. With the guidance of our wise leadership, the United Arab Emirates continues to make endless efforts to ensure the readiness of broad health coverage for the community, through advanced and integrated health insurance systems that enhance the quality and availability of services provided to members of society. Today, we gather in the presence of local and international partners to exchange experiences and knowledge and discuss ways that will help improve our global efforts in providing advanced health care for global societies. We also recognize the pivotal role played by the frontline heroes in delivering health care to individuals, while raising awareness of the importance of regular physical activity to improve and maintain the health of community members.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the critical need for preparedness in the face of health emergencies and highlighted huge disparities in countries’ abilities to cope with and recover from the crisis.

As of March 2021, 43% of countries had reported disruption to primary health care, while 45% had reported disruption to rehabilitative, palliative and long-term care. Life-saving emergency, critical and surgical interventions were affected in nearly one fifth of countries, and more than two thirds of countries reported disruption to elective surgeries. A vast range of other services – from mental health to dental care, cancer screening and family planning – have also suffered.

Community fear and mistrust, travel restrictions and financial difficulties have provided significant challenges during the outbreak, and services have also been hampered by supply-side problems, especially staff shortages.

Universal Health Coverage Day this year includes a series of events from 12 to 16 December. In addition to the WHO/Ministry of Health and Prevention joint event, Dubai Expo 2021 has dedicated a full day to celebrating key milestones in the journey towards UHC, including the upcoming release of the Global monitoring report on universal health coverage 2021, the Global monitoring report on financial protection in health 2021, the Global expenditure report 2021, and the Global survey on health technology assessment and health benefit packages: interactive database and findings.

For more information see WHO’s regional Universal Health Coverage Day page.