The universal health coverage forum 2017 was held in Japan’s capital city of Tokyo on December 12-15 by the Government of Japan, the World Bank (WB), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UHC2030 initiative organisation and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), discussing measures to enhance global health coverage.

Vietnamese delegates attend the event

This year’s event was attended by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and more than 300 delegates from ministries, departments and sectors of countries and international organisations.

Health Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Thi Kim Tien and Deputy General Director of Vietnam Social Security (VSS) Nguyen Minh Thao participated in the forum at the invitation of the World Bank.

On the sidelines of the event, VSS delegates met with representatives of the WHO, the WB and JICA to discuss its efforts to improve health coverage in Vietnam. They also voiced their hope for further cooperation and support from the partners, aiming to provide health coverage for 95 percent of Vietnam’s population by 2025.

At the opening session of the high-level forum held on December 14, Japanese PM Shinzo Abe stressed that universal health coverage requires the cooperation of governments and donors at national and global levels in monitoring, evaluating and mobilising resources and intensifying renovation. Japan will provide technical support worth 2.9 billion USD in the coming years to strengthen efforts toward universal health coverage, he added.

Representatives from international organisations and the Senegal and Myanmar governments gave strong commitments to strengthen activities toward universal health coverage.

Participants also discussed health coverage implementation and measures to solve health emergencies. On the sidelines of the forum, participants discussed measures to raise the capacity of health system and health workers, financial issues for health coverage, medicine access and medical demands in an aging society. They also shared experience in health coverage and the role of international organisations and cooperation of public and private sectors in health coverage.

The organisers approved the Tokyo Declaration on Universal Health Coverage, accelerating progress toward universal health coverage by 2030.

International Cooperation Department