“UHC means planning for health with, for, and by the people. If we have people-driven programs, people-driven development agendas towards health, and we simplify the language we employ with regards to the rights-based approach, we will definitely achieve UHC.”
This insight emerged from a three-day workshop and dialogue on realising the right to health and UHC in East Africa, from 11-13 April 2016, in Nairobi. Highlighting the role of the rights-based approach, this forum provided key insights into the systemic challenges and power relations that must be addressed in order to advance the right to health in the region.
KELIN, the Chr. Michelsen Institute’s Centre on Law and Social Transformation, Harvard’s FXB Center, CEHURD, and NORAD were the organisers for this forum. It saw the engagement of stakeholders from a diverse range of fields working on aspects of health or human rights in Kenya, Uganda, and the East African Community (EAC).
UHC requires political goodwill, as many trade-offs have to be considered when weighing how to extend coverage to people who are not receiving it. Of concern is also reducing out-of-pocket costs, and expanding the services provided by health systems. Participants discussed the importance of demanding better services, while building their knowledge base on the foundations of UHC. Likewise, taking into account the inequalities that exist in societies due to systemic political failures, and the circle of accountability underlying human rights-based arguments and advocacy is crucial to the realisation of UHC.
At the end of the dialogue, participants were urged to take advantage of new synergies and to focus on evidence-based concepts and advocacy towards UHC before approaching the larger East African Community (EAC). Some concluding questions that will remain relevant to making UHC a reality include:
- How do laws at country level address the right to health and UHC? How do these correspond to the policies speaking to health in the EAC?
- What training programs for health care workers are put in place to ensure patient dignity and respect in service delivery?
- How do we effectively link human rights to UHC?
- Are we working with the right information and data for us to plan for UHC within our countries and our region?
- How do we shape litigation to trigger policy change?
To contribute to the discussions on this forum, follow KELIN on our social media platforms:
Twitter: @KELINKenya using hashtag #UHCforAll
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kelinkenya
For more information contact:
Allan Maleche
Executive Director, KELIN
4th Floor, Somak Building, Mombasa Road
Tel +254202515790; Cell +254708389870;
Email: amaleche@kelinkenya.org
