A regional movement for universal health was recently launched by representatives of government, academia, civil society and experts from some 30 countries and territories of the Americas to identify obstacles and generate alliances to help countries reach the goal of health for all by 2030.
The Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Carissa F. Etienne, affirmed that universal health is more necessary than ever, yet the way to achieve it is not easy.
Forty years after the Declaration of Alma-Ata, which promoted the values of the right to health, equity and solidarity, the region of the Americas continues to be one of the most inequitable in the world. A third of the population still faces barriers to accessing health services.
“Guaranteeing the right to health means eliminating all kinds of barriers to accessing services,” Dr. Etienne stated.
Speaking at the regional meeting on universal health in Quito, Ecuador, she stressed the need to accelerate the transformation of health systems to be comprehensive, of high quality, and focused on the needs of the population.
A high level commission will conduct the activities of the movement and draw up recommendations to guide the way forward to achieve access and health coverage for all by 2030.
PAHO will act as the technical secretariat of the Forum.
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