ASEF Public Health Network (ASEF PHN) is excited to announce it has successfully joined UHC2030, the global movement to build stronger health systems for Universal Health Coverage, in the multilateral organizations and global health initiatives category.
UHC2030 provides a platform – bringing together governments, international organizations, civil society, and the private sector, amongst others – to strengthen health systems via the exchange of knowledge, resources, and best practices. UCH2030 aims to enable all countries to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC)- “a shared vision for health systems that protect everyone and a shared commitment to leave no one behind” (UHC2030, 2022).
Since it hosted a High-level Meeting on UHC in 2018, ASEF PHN has been focusing on Universal Health Coverage as it is crucial to have resilient healthcare systems for effective pandemic preparedness and response. ASEF PHN has been addressing UHC with a special focus on AMR. As Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus (Director-General of the WHO) stated, “progress toward UHC is vital for tackling the threat of AMR.”, and UHC and AMR are closely interconnected.
As a matter of fact, most health systems have been developed on the assumption that effective and affordable antimicrobials would always be readily available. This means that addressing AMR is vital for sustainable UHC. At the same time, without adequate stewardship of antimicrobial use, increased access associated with UHC could increase the risk of AMR. Therefore, strategies for strengthening health systems and for making progress towards UHC need to take AMR into account– see upcoming ASEF PHN webinar on the UHC-AMR connection here.
As a UHC2030 partner, ASEF Public Health Network will contribute its efforts to catalyze progress towards the achievement of sustainable UHC via an AMR integrated approach.