Annotated Bibliography
Hiam, L., & Yates, R. (2021). Will the COVID-19 crisis catalyse universal health reforms? The
Lancet, 398(10301), 646-648.
One of the greatest inconsistencies around the world is the inequity in accessing safe and
effective health care without financial burden. According to the Overseas Development
Institute, 71% of countries progressed towards universal health care after facing “state
fragility”. After the Great Depression, New Zealand’s Social Security Act made progress
towards universal health care. France and Japan enacted universal health reform after the
World War II conflict. After the Rwanda genocide in 1994, the country’s leader focused
health for all. Once the devasting impact of the pandemic came to light, countries such as
Finland and Cyprus, implemented reforms to extend health coverage. The reforms attained
an 80% approval rating. According to Hiam and Yates, 63% of Americans agreed that the
federal government is responsible to make sure everyone should have health-care
coverage. From previous crises where leaders needed to improve the welfare of all their
people, implementing universal health care will be beneficial to health, economic, and
politics. The article was written Lucinda Hiam who is affiliated with the School of
Geography and the environment, University of Oxford and Robert Yates, who is affiliated
with the Chatham House, London, UK. According to the website, The Lancet is an
independent general medical journal that is committed to applying scientific knowledge
that improves health and advance human progress. It is an internationally trusted source of
clinical, public health, and global health knowledge. It is ranked 2nd among 169 general
and internal medicine journals globally. I believe that because this journal is backed by
professionals and researcher, its information is credible through other sources. I will use
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this resource to reference how other countries progressed towards Universal Health
Coverage.
Tediosi, F., Lönnroth, K., Pablos-Méndez, A., & Raviglione, M. (2020). Build back stronger
universal health coverage systems after the COVID-19 pandemic: The need for better
governance and linkage with Universal Social Protection. BMJ Global Health
This article highlights the importance of universal health coverage after the pandemic.
Progressing towards and sustaining Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is crucial to build
strong health systems and to encourage more inclusive and fairer societies. According to
Tediosi et al, the government needs to advance effective, accountability and inclusive
institutions. Tediosi and his companions also stated the government is related to how
political, economical and administrative leadership and authority are exercised within a
health system. Despite all the literature on health system governance, little is known about
how it can be improved to be in favor of UHC. Another “crucial issue is the need to create
better linkage and joint governance between UHC policies, focused on access to health
services and to the direct expenses incurred by citizens for purchasing these services and
medical products, and systems that address the full economic consequences of ill health”
(Tediosi et al). UHC policies should coincide with social protection systems that provide
social safety nets, and organized governance should be required across health a social
district. These opposition require system-wide social and health policies that break the
threshold of the welfare systems and global health programs we know now. I believe this is
a credible source because the authors are all associated with the Swiss Tropical and Public
Health Institute in Basel, Switzerland, University of Basel, Department of Global Public
Health, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, Columbia University Irving Medical
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Center, New York City, and Global Health Centre, University of Milan. I can us this article
to reference how UHC can be achieved if the government can move forward from the
current health care system. According to the website, BMJ Global Health is an online
journal dedicated to publishing high-quality peer-reviewed content relevant to anyone
involved in global health. This includes policy makers, funders, researchers, clinicians, and
frontline healthcare workers. This tells me that the source is reliable because it is written
by professionals and experts in the field.
UNSDG (2020) Policy Brief: Covid-19 and Universal Health Coverage. United Nations
Sustainable Development Group.
The recent COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on risks that have been ignored, “including
inadequate health systems, gaps in social protection and structural inequalities” (UNSDG
2020). With the spread of COVID to more than 190 countries and over 30 million reported
cases, at least half of the world’s population still do not have full coverage of essential
health services (UNSDG 2020). According to UNSDG, COVID has shed light the negative
effects of financing health coverage based on wages. Access to health services is connected
to employment, but while going through a global economic crisis where employment rate
is increasing, access to these services is reduced. In the briefing, UNSDG has stated that
the pandemic has cost the global economy $375 billion a month and over 500 million
people do not have jobs. Pertaining to COVID, it would be in every country’s national and
economic self-self interest to work together to expand access to test and treatments. This
source will be of major help to support my thesis. The article is written and published by
the United Nations Sustainable Development Group. According to their web page, at the
global level, the UNSDG serves as a high-level forum for joint policy formations and
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decision-making. They guide, support, track and oversee the coordination of development
operations in 162 countries and territories.” Which tells me this is a reliable source because
the articles are written by like-minded, educated professionals. The article explains the
impact of COVID-19 on health and pandemic responses, the benefits of Universal Health
Coverage, and how to better prepare for a pandemic in the future. There are reliable
research and statistics in the article pertaining COVID impact globally. The article also
goes on to recommend actions to take to move forward towards Universal Health
Coverage.
Verguet, S., Hailu, A., Eregata, G. T., Memirie, S. T., Johansson, K. A., & Norheim, O. F. (2021).
Toward universal health coverage in the post-covid-19 era. Nature Medicine, 27(3), 380387
According to Verguet, Hailu, Eregata et al., “all countries worldwide have signed up to the
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and have committed to the objective of
achieving universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality
essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential
medicines and vaccines for all”. With limited resources, no nation can provide unlimited
number of services to their entire population in a sustainable manner. Verguet, Hailu,
Ergata et al., stated that “rationing and setting priorities for the selection of interventions in
a defined package of services” can be beneficial towards progression of universal health
coverage. The Millennium Development Goals have helped low and middle-income
countries (LMICs) achieve decline in mortality rates but during the COVID pandemic
limited the health system’s capacity to deliver services and expand access to new services
(p.380). Universal health coverage reforms usually come with a national essential benefits
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package (EBP) to be financed publicly and provide citizen’s free services (p.380). This
should include a clear description of essential health interventions based on agreed, predefined criteria. History, political leadership, local social and ethical principles,
idiosyncrasies of national health systems and availability of domestic financial resource
will be defining factors on how countries will fund and deliver health services (p.380).
This article will be a great source for my paper because it explains how to put together a
national essential benefits package (EBP) that can progress towards and sustaining
Universal Health Coverage. With statistics and research that is credible through other
sources I believe this article can elaborate on how other countries move towards UHC and
how they did so. Nature Medicine is a journal that publishes original peer-review research
in medicine. The editor received his medical training at the Federal University in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil. The information and research are all done by credible professionals and
degree holders.
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