BAKTHAVACHALU, ARTHI

21-2038-628

PMCH QUIZ
UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE
1. Universal Health Care
Universal health care, sometimes referred to as universal health coverage,
universal coverage, or universal care, Usually refers to a health care system providing a
specified package of benefits to all members of a society with the end goal of providing
financial risk protection, improved access to health services, and improved health
outcomes. Universal health care is not one-size-fits-all and does not imply coverage for
all people for everything. Universal health care determined by three critical dimensions:
who is covered, what services are covered, and how much of the cost is covered.
Importance of UHC
 Equity in access to health services, everyone who needs services should get them, not
only those who can pay for them.
 The quality of health services should be good enough to improve the health of those
receiving services
 People should be protected against financial-risk, ensuring that the cost of using services
does not put people at risk of financial harm.

2. 5/10 facts of UHC and explain each

1. Universal coverage ensures that all people can use health services without financial
hardship. This speaks to the core goal of UHC - to ensure everyone can access the health
services they need without facing catastrophic out-of-pocket expenses that could push
them into poverty.

2. All people should have access to the health services they need. This emphasizes the
principle of universality in UHC, where coverage should be comprehensive and
equitable, reaching the entire population.

3. Out-of-pocket payments push 100 million people into poverty every year. This
highlights the severe financial burden that healthcare costs can impose on households,
underscoring the importance of financial risk protection mechanisms in UHC.
 4. The most effective way to provide universal coverage is to share the costs across the
population. This refers to the principle of solidarity and risk pooling, where resources are
redistributed to ensure affordable access for all.

5. All countries are continually seeking more funds for health care. Adequate and
sustainable health financing is a constant challenge for countries working towards UHC.
6. In 2010, 79 countries devoted less than 10% of government expenditure to health. This
indicates the need for increased public investment in health systems to expand coverage
and improve service quality.

3. Explain 5/10 common causes of efficiencies of healthcare

1) Spending too much on medicines and health technologies: Excessive spending on

pharmaceuticals and medical equipment can significantly drain health resources
without commensurate health gains. Careful assessment of cost-effectiveness and
value-based procurement are important.

2) Using them inappropriately: The improper or suboptimal use of medicines and

technologies, often due to lack of guidelines, training, or oversight, can lead to waste
and suboptimal health outcomes.

3) Using ineffective medicines and technologies: Investing in and using health

technologies that are not evidence-based or clinically effective is a major source of
inefficiency.

4) Leakages and waste, often for medicines: Theft, diversion, and waste of medical
supplies and pharmaceuticals can result in significant resource losses.

5) Hospital inefficiency, particularly over-capacity: Excessive hospital bed capacity,

underutilization, and inefficient hospital management practices can lead to waste of
resources.

6) De-motivated health workers: Low morale, poor working conditions, and lack of
incentives among health workers can reduce their productivity and performance.

4. How can you measure universal health coverage?

As universal health coverage is a combination of whether people obtain the
health services they need and financial risk protection, measurement needs to include both
components. Coverage of health services can be measured by the percentage of people receiving
the services they need: for example women in fertile age groups accessing modern methods of
family planning or children immunized. On the other hand, financial risk protection can be
evaluated by a reduction in the number of families pushed into poverty or placed under severe
economic strain due to health costs. The impact of these steps on population health and
household financial wellbeing can also be measured, as can many of the factors that make it
easier to increase coverage. These include the availability of essential medicines.