To strengthen collaboration and funding for health, the Angolan government and its partners renewed their commitment today in Luanda, on the sidelines of the Universal Health Coverage Day celebration, to accelerate the repositioning of primary health care and community health to guarantee quality health. 

Universal Health Coverage Day, celebrated annually on 12 December, highlights the need to commit to and strengthen global actions to improve health for all. However, the situation of Universal Health Coverage in the world is alarming - more than half of the world's population does not have access to essential health services. Furthermore, financial protection has progressively deteriorated over the last 20 years, with 2 billion people experiencing financial hardship due to health-related expenses, and only less than a third of countries have made progress in service coverage and financial protection.

Studies show that achieving Universal Health Coverage by 2030 is still possible. Still, countries must act by translating their commitments into concrete actions - creating laws, budgets, policies, and programmes to help reduce the financial barriers to accessing essential health services and products, especially for the poorest and most vulnerable.

According to Angola’s Minister of Health, Dr Sílvia Lutucuta, the Angolan Executive is making a massive investment in infrastructure in the National Health Service, increasing the resolutive capacity at the three levels of care to respond to the population's health needs, from primary care to more specialised and complex interventions. He added: “The structural investment made in the National Health Service has improved the leading impact indicators for maternal and child health. According to recent studies, the mortality rate for children under five has fallen from 68 to 52 per 1,000 live births, that of children under one from 44 to 32 per 1,000 live births, and maternal mortality has dropped from 239 to 170 per 100,000 live births”.

“Despite the gains made, we still need to make more progress to increase access to healthcare for everyone and everywhere and achieve the national commitment to our people, Universal Health Coverage, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Because we know that health is one of the most powerful factors of social justice and cohesion, but also wealth creation for the desired sustainable development of our country and the well-being of our population”.

Investing in universal health coverage benefits the national economy by improving health and well-being, increasing labour force participation and productivity, and building resilience in individuals, families, and communities. According to WHO studies, the practical impacts of this intervention on people's lives range from promoting employment, particularly for women, to increasing economic growth rates in low- and middle-income countries by up to 2 percentage points. 

For the WHO Representative in Angola, Dr Zabulone Yoti, access to quality health services is essential for a healthy population that can contribute positively to the country's growth. Adding that, “the WHO welcomes the Angolan government's commitment to prioritising health at the centre of its governance policies and will continue to support the government, in particular the Ministry of Health, so that the highest level of excellence in health services is achieved and accessible to everyone, everywhere”.

“Angola needs to continue investing to allow universal and integrated access to health services, as close as possible to people’s daily environment. The WHO recommends continuing to strengthen the primary health care approach, bearing in mind that as well as improving and bringing services closer to communities, it has the best cost-benefit ratio, both economically and socially”, said Dr Yoti.  He concluded that: “if primary care is strengthened, around 80 to 85 per cent of illnesses will be resolved at lower-level health units, which reduces the aggravation of cases and, therefore, the cost of treatment, which increases according to complexity”.

For his part, the UNICEF Representative in Angola, Antero de Pina, stressed that the commitments of the Luanda Declaration made by Angola serve as a fundamental guide for efforts to achieve universal health coverage and are aligned with the African vision whose reference is the Lusaka Agenda, which calls for a strengthening of political commitment, effective partnerships and a people-centred vision.

“Primary health care and immunisation are the most assertive way to accelerate the achievement of universal coverage, where we highlight the gradual increase in the allocation of resources to the health sector, the prioritisation and financial execution of essential packages of services with a focus on the prevention of health problems and the strengthening of partnerships with communities, civil society organisations and the private sector”. 

To celebrate Universal Health Coverage Day, the Angolan Ministry of Health, with the support of the WHO and UNICEF, held a national conference under the slogan ‘Health: Everyone’s Responsibility!’, promoting reflection on four fundamental themes: 

1. Monitoring the degree of implementation of the commitments made in the ‘Luanda Declaration on Primary Health Care and Immunisation’, highlighting the gains and challenges to accelerate the revitalisation of Primary Health Care;

2. Presentation of the ‘National Community Health Policy and Strategy’, its axes and definition of the lines of public and private participation for the implementation and acceleration of community health improvement;

3. Presentation of the ‘National Health Information System Strategic Plan’ and its axes to guarantee the production of integrated, reliable data for decision-making, planning and continuous improvement of health services; and

4. Revitalisation of ‘Routine Vaccination’ through advocacy and mobilisation of health professionals, civil society and partners to ensure that vaccines reach all children to achieve collective immunity and the prevention of vaccine-preventable diseases, also paying tribute to Polio champions.

Universal Health Coverage is a long-term investment and a necessary capital, based on the principle that everyone, everywhere, should have access to essential quality products and health services without suffering financial hardship. It is a goal that permeates all areas of health and is a beacon of hope for a healthier and fairer world.