Advocacy for psoriatic disease with the 2023 Political Declaration on UHC

The second High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) was held on September 21st, 2023. The main objective of the meeting was to emphasize the importance of universal access to quality healthcare, regardless of geographical location or socioeconomic status. The meeting highlighted the significance of healthcare in improving people's lives and making the world a better place to live in.

Universal health coverage (UHC) means that everyone, irrespective of their age, sex, financial situation, or living standards, can access the health services they need, without experiencing financial hardship. Health services should cover the entire life span of individuals, be of high quality and be affordable. Countries can start implementing a core set of essential intervention according to the national context and priorities, but they should also expand the coverage over time when more resources become available. Investing UHC is investing in the future and in the country’s prosperity: UHC is a driver for prosperity because a population in good health is a productive population, UHC brings equality as vulnerable populations often lack access to health services, UHC is tied to increased financial security as health expenditures will have a lower impact on household’s budgets.

The 2023 political declaration on UHC reaffirms many of the commitments already made in 2019.

It highlights the importance of strengthening primary care, of addressing the shortage of healthcare professionals, and of considering mental health as a part of health. Noncommunicable diseases are more emphasized in the 2023 political declaration, especially when it comes to prevention, continuum of care, and inclusion of NCDs in UHC.

The 2023 political declaration on UHC is a precious new tool at our disposal and can be used together with the WHO Resolution on Psoriasis and the WHO Global Report on Psoriasis to advocate for improving the lives of people living with psoriatic disease worldwide.