BACKGROUND :

Public sector healthcare delivery systems are at the core of achieving universal health care. However, the dominant discourse around Universal Health Coverage (UHC) focuses mainly on financing and not on the actual provisioning of healthcare (as the shift in words from “care” to “coverage” clearly indicates). Yet the model of service delivery is vital to a health system's success in providing coverage, quality, and positive health outcomes for all. There is much to be learned from the experiences of various countries and their successes and failures at ensuring progress towards universally affordable, accessible and effective healthcare. These experiences can be used to develop a road-map to accelerate progress towards UHC and SDGs. Different service delivery models produce different results. A number of countries have introduced insurance-based models, which has primarily translated into public funding for private-sector service delivery. Some countries are facing a dismantling of their public sector healthcare delivery system, with grave implications for health equity, access and financial protection. However, there are also encouraging experiences of countries that have strengthened the delivery of public sector health services, resulting in more equitable healthcare and financial protection. In this meeting, we will discuss successes and failures of these different service delivery models, drawing on experiences from South Korea, Croatia, India, South Africa, Thailand and Sri Lanka. Through this meeting we will chalk out a road map in pursuit of the goal of universal health care and Health for All, to realise the vision of the right to affordable, accessible and effective healthcare as a fundamental right of all people.