Achieving UHC in the Pacific, a Closer Look at Implementation: Summary of a Report for Pacific Health Ministers

The principles of universal health coverage (UHC) are deeply embedded in health systems across the Pacific. UHC is also one of the stepping stones to achieving the Healthy Islands vision, adopted by Pacific health ministers in 1995, which envisages healthy islands as places where citizens grow, learn, play, and age with dignity. However, recent evidence suggests that though health systems across the Pacific largely remain affordable, there are growing challenges in ensuring access to good quality essential services. This article examines three common challenges to improving essential service delivery across the Pacific and reforms that are currently being put in place to address them. It is based on a report on the status of UHC, with a focus on primary health care (PHC), across 22 Pacific Island countries and territories that was submitted to the most recent meeting of Pacific health ministers in 2017. That report identified the challenges and reform efforts using data from a literature review, interviews with senior policy makers, as well as technical consultations. The three challenges-delivering integrated PHC services with appropriate delivery models; increasing the share of resources allocated to PHC; and improving managerial, administrative, and supervisory capacity to ensure that resources reach and are well used for PHC-are being addressed through country-specific reforms across the Pacific. However, concerted political effort is needed to ensure that these reforms are effective in improving access to good quality PHC for citizens across the Pacific.