Plenary Session 1

Underlying the achievement of most SDG3 targets is universal access to and uptake of quality, affordable health services (SDG target 3.8), the large majority delivered close to where people live and work (i.e. primary care).  

WHO estimates that around half of the world’s population lack access to essential health services worldwide. Even when essential services are accessible, they are often fragmented, of poor quality and safety, and do not always address the upstream determinants of health and equity in health. 
At the same time, the burden of noncommunicable diseases, accidents and mental health problems is growing. Ageing populations are causing people to live longer, but often with multiple diseases and conditions that require complex care over time.  With the growth of social media and digital communication, healthcare users and their families are much more informed (or mis-informed) and are demanding more say in how health services take care of them.  Significant rise in medical consumerism, malpractice litigation, and lack of trust in vaccination campaigns are observed.   In more fragile contexts, the lack of confidence in health services and has hampered efforts to control communicable disease threats.  This shows that communities are the anchor of nations’ resilience-building efforts. In this context, increased accountability (including social accountability to local communities) and broader stakeholder participation is needed.  

The key to dealing with today’s public health challenges and changing landscape is not to change strategic direction – primary health care remains the cornerstone of a sustainable health system and is the foundation for essential part of achieving universal health coverage– but to transform the way health and social services are organized, funded and delivered. For health care and coverage to be truly universal, it calls a shift from health systems designed around diseases and health institutions towards systems designed for people, with people.  This is required to meet the evolving needs of the population, ensure population trust in services and subsequently their effective use, and to curb inefficiencies related to duplication and waste.  In the wider context of Sustainable Development Goals, health workers are also expected to demonstrate their social responsibility: protecting the general public’s well-being and meeting social expectations, while also aiming to reduce the impact on the environment of their activities.