UHC DAY 2018 Event: Ensuring healthcare for all people
The United Nations proclaims December 12th as the International Universal Health
Coverage Day (UHC Day), making it an official UN-designated day. Universal Health
Coverage (UHC) means that all people and communities can use the promotive,
preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative health services they need, ofsufficient quality to be effective, while also ensuring that the use of these services
does not expose the user to financial hardship. UHC also aims to create healthsystem which leaves no one behind.
In commemorating the UHC Day, we will host an event to examine how we canensure equitable access to health for all people locally and globally. Have wealready attained UHC in Japan where no one is left behind in our health system?
With the surrounding environment of health care dramatically changing, what are
future directions of UHC – both in Japan and globally? By inviting experts on healthsystems from Japan, China and Thailand, we will discuss the current situation andfuture directions of health systems for these three rapidly aging societies. Pleasejoin us at this special occasion to discuss on a health system that will leave no one
behind(This event is organized by The Department of Global Health Policy at the Universityof Tokyo, together with the Institute of Global Health Policy Research (iGHP) ofNational Center for Global Health and Medicine and Japan International
Cooperation Agency (JICA), in support by the Ministry of Health, Labour andWelfare of Japan)
Date & Time

Tuesday, December 4, 2018, 18:30-20:00

Venue

Square Kojimachi, 3rd floor, “Hana-no-ma”

Accesshttp://www.square.or.jp/access/Feefree of charge

Language

Japanese and English (simultaneous interpreting will be provided)

Capacity

100 participantsReport on UHC Day 2018 Event “Ensuring access to health for all: Locally, regionallyand across borders" (December 04, 2018)
The Department of Global Health Policy of the University of Tokyo (GHP) and theInstitute for Global Health Policy Research (iGHP) of the National Center for Global
Health and Medicine, in cooperation with Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA), had the pleasure of co-organizing an event titled “Ensuring access to healthfor all: locally, regionally and across borders.” This event was supported by theMinistry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan and was held as an official part ofUniversal Health Coverage (UHC) Day 2018.
The aim of this event was to consolidate ideas and viewpoints on how we canensure equitable access to health for all people locally and globally. By inviting
experts on health systems from Japan, China and Thailand, we examined the future
directions of health systems for these three rapidly aging societies and to find thekey for “leaving no one behind.”
For the event, we were honored to have two distinguished guests, Dr. Chieko Ikeda,Senior Assistant Minister for Global Health under the Minister's Secretariat in theJapanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and Dr. Suwit Wibulpolprasert, Vice
Chair of International Health Policy Program Foundation. In her opening remark, Dr.
Ikeda emphasized the fact that the highest standard of health is a basic humanright. While Japan has been taking the leadership to ensure countries across theglobe attain UHC by 2030, Dr. Ikeda noted on Japan’s own challenges to maintainthe quality and coverage of healthcare as a rapidly aging society. With the occasionof UHC Day, she expressed her sincere wishes for all of us to think of how we canensure health for those in Japan and for the world.
Following Dr. Ikeda’s opening remark, Dr. Suwit Wibulpolprasert touched uponThailand’s unique experience over the past half a century in achieving the country’sUHC in 2002 to “leave no one behind.” Some instrumental factors were) 1) strong
political commitment, 2) transparency and ownership through a participatory
governance system, 3) promotion of Primary Health Care (PHC) services, 4) a mixof payment and innovative financing schemes, 5) institutional capacity building andpolicy research. Dr. Suwit finished off his presentation noting that health is about
the wellbeing of all people and that UHC needs to be inclusive of everyone.

Following the keynote address, two speakers each gave a presentation on theircountry’s progress on UHC; Dr. Kun Tang of Peking University’s Department ofGlobal Health on how health agenda is driven in a socialist country like China, andDr. Yoshihiro Takayama of Okinawa Chubu Hospital on how Japan is shifting to a
localized care for chronic illnesses based on PHC.
Dr. Tang illustrated the progress of on health measures in China in the recent years,
which has benefitted much from the country’s promotion of UHC. In 2015, Chinareached 97.8% population coverage using a mix of insurance schemes for civil
servants, urban employees, rural and urban residents. Despite such achievements,
financial protection coverage remains to be an issue , which is being addressed
through China’s next set of actions, which include a PHC focused reform to promote
UHC.
Dr. Tang also touched upon how China is in the position to drive global UHC
promotion with the Silk Road and Belt Initiative, which promotes trade and providesinfrastructure in over 80 countries and 70% of world population. Together with its
ODA for health, which invests heavily on health system strengthening, China will
ensure strengthening of health service delivery and their systems in all thesecountries.
Following Dr. Tang’s talk, Dr. Takayama spoke from the caregiver’s perfective on
whether we are really able to provide an inclusive care even in a country where
UHC has supposedly been achieved. Japan currently faces an era where medicine
has shifted from acute care to chronic care where localized care system has beenthe core health policy. He illustrated how individual’s needs are cared for and taken
into consideration at the medical care provision level, but that we should be careful
about systemizing all good practices and rather should pay careful attention toproviding the flexibility to meet the localized and individualized needs.
In the panel discussion, the panelists discussed on further challenges that eachcountry or the global community faces, and the key to achieving medical care where
no one is left behind.
The first issue discussed was on migrants. Dr. Supatik Sirilak of Thailand introduced
various coverage schemes that Thailand offers to its migrants, while Dr. Tang

mentioned that internal migration poses to be an issue in China and can also beseen as a window of opportunity for the private sector to step in. Dr. Takayama, on
the other hand, discussed about the need for the younger generation to be involvedin community building and to promote diversity and inclusiveness in welcoming inmigrants.
Dr. Makoto Tobe of JICA went on to discuss how we can address global issues, towhich he stressed the importance of raising the awareness and involvement ofdecision makers. In particular, Dr. Tobe touched upon how the involvement of thosefrom the finance ministry is a key in order to secure the necessary budget. Inaddition, he mentioned about the importance of PHC and highlighted Thailand as aprime example of how they drove a hospital based to a PHC-based health caresystem to achieve UHC.
Ms. Mihoko Kashiwakura of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation highlighted that
Sustainable Develop Goals are goals for every citizen of the globe, and in order for
us to change the world and achieve these goals, each one of us needs to beinvolved in the process.
This event was well-received by more than one hundred participants that consistedof government officials, developing partners, academia, medical professionals,
private sector, and civil societies from various countries.

Speakers:•Dr. Chieko Ikeda, Senior Assistant Minister for Global Health, Minister'sSecretariat, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Japan•

Dr. Suwit Wibulpolprasert, Vice Chair, International Health Policy Program
Foundation; Vice Chair, Health Intervention and Technology Assessment
Foundation, Thailand•

Dr. Kun Tang, Assistant Professor, Department of Global Health, Peking
University School of Public Health, China•

Dr. Yoshihiro Takayama, Chief Physician, Regional healthcare Department,
Okinawa Chubu Hospital, Japan

Panelists:•Dr. Supakit Sirilak, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Health,Thailand•

Dr. Kun Tang, Assistant Professor, Department of Global Health, Peking
University School of Public Health•Dr. Yoshihiro Takayama, Chief physician, Regional Healthcare Department,
Okinawa Chubu Hospital•Dr. Makoto Tobe, Senior Advisor, Human Development Department, JapanInternational Cooperation Agency (JICA)•

Ms. Mihoko Kashiwakura, Head of Japan, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation