Universal Health Coverage
Universal Health Coverage (UHC) means “to ensure that all people can receive the health services they need at an affordable cost throughout life” and in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted at the United Nations Summit in September 2015, the achievement of UHC is listed in Goal 3 (health and welfare).
Starting over 50 years ago in 1961, Japan promoted the establishment of the health care system including realizing the National Health Insurance Program. As a result, the people of Japan today enjoy the longest average life span worldwide. The Japan government has prescribed the promotion of UHC as a policy objective and a basic policy as part of the “Basic Design for Peace and Health” announced in September 2015. In addition, utilizing the experience of Japan, the Japan government is actively working on realizing UHC in each country.
With the growing focus on universal health coverage, the JPMA in collaboration with IFPMA, PhRMA and EFPIA developed key guiding principles to inform the design of global UHC policies, which were shared through the joint statement, "Innovative Biopharmaceutical Industry Perspectives on Universal Health Coverage: Proposed Public Policy Principles".
Access Accelerated & JPMA Convene Global Health Leaders at 2017 Universal Health Coverage Forum Side Event
On December 12, 2017, JPMA and Access Accelerated hosted a side event at the 2017 Universal Health Coverage Forum in Tokyo.
JPMA News Letter (only Japanese is available)
UN High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC)
On September 23rd, 2019, the United Nations (UN) held the high-level meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) during the 74th session of the UN General Assembly. Mr. Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, Mr. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande (President of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly), Dr. Tedros Adhanom, Director-General of the World Health Organization, Ms. Melinda Gates of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and others participated in this High-Level Meeting.
At the outset, Prime Minister Abe stated that Japan achieved UHC with the introduction of our national health insurance system in 1961, which has provided a foundation for Japan’s social and economic development and for a healthy ageing society. He also stated that, building on this experience, he has emphasized the importance of achieving UHC all across the world.
At the meeting, UHC Political Declaration was endorsed, which reaffirmed the goals, such as providing essential health services to all people and eliminating impoverishment due to health-related expenses by 2030. In order to achieve these goals, the Political Declaration demonstrated strong political-level commitments for achieving UHC, such as strengthening health financing, promoting Primary Health Care (PHC), tackling communicable and non-communicable diseases, improving situations on water sanitation and nutrition, promoting education in health, and developing human resources for health and others.
IFPMA congratulated with the below statement at the meeting while IFPMA published the brochure,"ACHIEVING A HEALTHIER AND SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR ALL" expressing the industry position toward UHC