Resources

The COVID-19  pandemic spread to more than 190 countries, with over 30 million cases reported within the first 9 months. Over one million lives were lost. The pandemic laid bare long-ignored risks, including inadequate health systems, gaps in social protection and structural inequalities. It also brought home the importance of basic public health, strong health systems and emergency preparedness, as well as the resilience of a population in the face of a new virus or pandemic, lending ever greater urgency to the quest for universal health coverage (UHC). Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic will require a whole-of-government, whole-of-society and a global coordinated approach. The lessons learned call for universal health coverage that ensures equal access to quality health care without financial risks for everyone and that effectively protects societies from another health crisis with its devastating effects on lives and livelihoods.  This policy brief outlines recommended actions to control the spread, strengthen delivery of health services and achieve UHC. This is a useful document for policy makers.  Click here to read the policy brief.