HOW SHOULD WE TRACK PROGRESS TOWARD UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE IN LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES?

Abstract

This article discusses the growing international interest in universal health coverage in the context of low income countries and the problems of tracking progress towards this goal as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO). It is argued that the resource constraints of such countries mean that only partial approaches to universal health coverage are being implemented. To ensure that the various partial approaches are in fact moving towards the universal health coverage goal, a framework or guidelines for monitoring progress towards achievement of all the dimensions stated in the WHO definition is needed. The paper discusses the key issues involved in monitoring such progress and proposes areas that require special attention, as well as policy issues that arise, in tracking progress towards the goal of universal coverage.