UHC Day 2023 - Hepatitis elimination and achieving health for all
Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) means that health care is available to all people everywhere, and this should include hepatitis services. Hepatitis elimination is a key component of UHC, as it strengthens health systems, engages underserved communities, enhances vaccination programmes, reduces cancer mortalities and strengthens HIV responses.
Significant political will and investment in hepatitis prevention, testing and treatment are needed to achieve both hepatitis elimination and UHC. The United Nations held a High-Level Meeting (HLM) in September 2023 to discuss progress on delivering UHC by 2030. The HLM provides an opportunity to bolster political will for hepatitis elimination through the current global focus on UHC.
UHC Day is coming up on 12 December!
This UHC Day, hepatitis advocates must continue to push national governments to uphold the commitments they made at the meeting to hepatitis elimination and UHC. By achieving UHC, people everywhere gain access to essential hepatitis services.
Get involved towards UHC day
To support advocacy towards achieving UHC alongside hepatitis elimination, we have developed social media assets to further disseminate the message and call for global action. Download and promote the media assets and help raise awareness across your social media platforms.
We have also developed a community briefing which outlines the connection between hepatitis elimination and UHC and calls for greater action. This includes calling for the integration of hepatitis elimination into liver cancer services to reduce the burden of NCDs, increasing funding for hepatitis to help achieve UHC, and championing civil society in UHC responses.
Below is the full communications toolkit which includes social media and email copy to promote with your network.
Webinar: We’re not waiting – viral hepatitis elimination and the new UN Political Declaration on UHC
WHA hosted a webinar to discuss the United Nations Member States’ recommitment to UHC, why it is relevant to hepatitis elimination and the role of multi-stakeholder responses in achieving both.
Date: Thursday, 30 November 2023
Time: 1pm (GMT)
The webinar is a panel discussion and Q&A session that addressed the following topics:
- What is UHC, the new UN Political Declaration on UHC, and why they are relevant to hepatitis elimination.
- How is UHC being implemented at a country-level?
- Opportunities for hepatitis elimination through UHC, such as NCD integration.
- How hepatitis advocates can work to get the commitments in the UN Political Declaration on UHC implemented locally
Chair: Cary James, CEO, World Hepatitis Alliance
Speakers:
- Laura Philidor, Advocacy and Communication Officer, CSEM for UHC2030 and WACI Health
- Maria Eugenia de Feo Moyano, President and Founder, Fundación HCV Salud Sin Fronteras
- Devaki Nambiar, Program Director, Healthier Societies Strategy, the George Institute for Global Health India
- Rui Tato Marinho MD PHD, Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist, President of National Program for Viral Hepatitis for the Directorate General of Health, Ministry of Health, Portugal
- Shaibu Issa, hepatitis B patient advocate, Tanzania