Because health is a human right

IFPA's resources for universal health coverage

12 December 2019

By IFPA

Resources on psoriatic disease and UHC

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.

Psoriatic disease is a complex, life-long disease. UHC ensures that psoriatic disease is properly managed by health systems, and that people living with psoriatic disease do not experience financial hardship because of the costs associated to their disease.

Advocating for universal health coverage for psoriatic disease

In 2019, United Nation’s Member States unanimously approved the political declaration on universal health coverage, which tackles multiple issues related to psoriatic disease such as mental health, disabilities, access to medicines, and health workforce.

The political declaration on UHC can be used to advocate for psoriatic disease as UHC is a broad concept comprehensive of multiple issues related to psoriatic disease:

  • Noncommunicable diseases
  • Mental health
  • Disabilities
  • Primary care
  • Financial hardship
  • Access to medicines
  • Health workforce

The 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.

Access the IFPA’s advocacy toolkit for universal health coverage here.

Interested in learning quick facts about universal health coverage and psoriatic disease? Check out our fact-sheet.

  • UHC health for all
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Effective primary care support in the management of psoriatic disease

Primary care is the pillar of universal health coverage. A primary care-coordinated approach to psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis management—wherein a specialist leads on disease treatment approaches, but a primary care provider ensures adequate consideration and management of co-morbidities and facilitates linkages to social support—could serve as an instructive benchmark and point of reference in the development of similar care models for managing other chronic non-communicable diseases.

Read the psoriatic disease and primary care report “Beyond Gatekeeping: Effective Primary Care Support in the Management of Psoriasis & Psoriatic Arthritis” here.

Our vision for psoriatic disease and universal health coverage

Universal health coverage means that everyone, irrespective of their age, sex, financial situation, or living standards, can access the health services they need, without experiencing financial hardship.

Because psoriatic disease is a complex, life-long disease, universal health coverage safeguards people with psoriatic disease from experiencing financial hardship while managing their condition.

Read our white paper on psoriatic disease universal health coverage here.