December 12 is International Universal Health Coverage Day, a day where we must remind governments AND health care providers that everyone has a right to health.
As background on the history of this day, in 2014, the Universal Health Coverage Coalition started to celebrate 12 December as Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day, commemorating the date on which the UN General Assembly officially recognised the importance of UHC. It is a United Nations-designated day, which was officially resolved on 12 December 2017.
Since then, the day has become the annual rallying point for the growing global movement for #Health4All.
Every person—no matter who they are, what health condition they have, or where they live, should be able to get the quality health coverage and services they need without facing financial hardship.
DAI knows that most people with dementia do not receive full health coverage, nor adequate post diagnostic support to live with dementia; instead, they are too often only advised to go home and prepare to die. And for those people with dementia and their families who choose a different pathway, the cost is often crippling.
Three months after the historic high-level meeting the the United Nations General Assembly on universal health coverage (held on 23 September 2019), we understand that dementia was not specifically included in discussions, in spite of the many years of global advocacy by DAI and ADI.
This is not a positive outcome for the more than 50 million people currently livign with dementia!
This high-level meeting, held under the theme “Universal Health Coverage: Moving Together to Build a Healthier World,” aimed to accelerate progress toward universal health coverage (UHC), including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.
Yet, we know that people with dementia are still being denied access to health care, all over the world.
Let's all rally together to ensure everyone, including people with dementia are not left behind in the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals Agenda!