From silos to sustainability: transition through a UHC lens

Overview

Looking at transition through a UHC lens implies three shifts: building consensus that what is to be sustained is increased effective coverage of priority health interventions; that sustainability requires acting on both revenue and expenditure issues; and that such actions must be done system-wide rather than programme by programme.

A UHC lens means looking at these challenges from the perspectives of the health and finance ministers rather than simply those of each programme manager. A minister’s perspective puts financing issues within the frame of funding for the entire sector, leading to an emphasis on strengthening overall taxation capacity and improving equity and efficiency, which are core principles for any health financing system, regardless of transition. It also means going beyond financing to carefully address inefficiencies through reforms and investments that might require donor support, to stream - line the underlying administrative machinery of the entire health system.

Focusing on UHC goals to drive consensus and the system-wide unit of analysis to frame actions better enables policy responses to build stronger health systems that address programmatic priorities, regardless of the source of funding.