For the International Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day, professionals from education became the spokespeople advocating health for all. This celebration was held in partnership with the UHC Day and UHC2030 coalitions, which brings together governments, international organisations and organisations from civil society who are taking action to extend UHC.
For the International Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day, professionals from education became the spokespeople advocating health for all. This celebration was held in partnership with the UHC Day and UHC2030 coalitions, which brings together governments, international organisations and organisations from civil society who are taking action to extend UHC.
The UHC day would like to make people aware that health is a right which presupposes solid, resilient, inclusive systems and universal health coverage. Every year on 12 December, UHC advocates are speaking up and sharing the stories of millions of people who do not have accessible health care and underlining that health provision for everyone is essential!
The theme this year was “keep our promises”. This was in response to a high-level meeting of the General Assembly of the United Nations on the UHC, held in New York on 23 September 2019, during which the heads of state demonstrated their willingness to provide UHC to their fellow citizens.
[VIDEO::https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_WsFdMdSx0::normal]
The members of the ESN have joined the call: “Everyone everywhere must have access to quality and affordable health services. As supportive campaigners and education trade unions, we urge political leaders to legislate, invest and collaborate with all of civil society to make Universal Health Coverage a reality. ”
The ESN consulted its members to collect testimonies highlighting the mobilisation and involvement of educational communities in support of UHC. Educators highlighted how health coverage is key for them, for their profession, for their pupils, and how they have made a commitment to promoting good health in schools on a daily basis. During the day of UHC, stories, videos and the key demands of the International Universal Health Coverage Coalition were shared on social media.
This international campaign raised awareness of the topic, mobilised teachers worldwide and saw workers in education becoming ambassadors for Universal Health Coverage in their countries.
One example is the media appearance of Augustin Tumba Nzuji, Secretary General of FENECO, an education trade union in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which took advantage of International Universal Health Coverage Day to challenge its government to improve the quality of medical care of all teachers in the DRC.
“While international leaders made a declaration on 23 September 2019 to renew their commitment to working together for a world with better heath, the DRC lacks strong management to implement this commitment and achieve Objective 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”, he declared.
“One worker in two, in all sectors of work in the DRC, is a teacher. By assuring quality medical care for all teachers, the Democratic Republic of Congo is taking a giant leap in the area of universal health coverage (UHC).
