The WHO estimates that half the world's population lacks access to basic health services. Moreover, this already staggering number masks inequities that exist between and within countries. UHC promises to give all people greater access to health services but the task of turning this vision into reality poses a significant challenge for countries at all stages of economic development. This event will explore these issues by drawing on the perspectives of the book “The Road to Universal Health Coverage”, co-edited by Jeffrey L. Sturchio, President and CEO of Rabin Martin, Ilona Kickbusch, director of the Global Health Centre, and Louis Galambos, professor of history and the co-director of the Institute for Applied Economics, Global Health, and the Study of Business Enterprise at Johns Hopkins University, with a foreword by Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the WHO.

The discussion will focus on the new health economy and the ways in which the private sector is helping countries to achieve UHC. What are the conditions required for countries to translate their successful experiences and policy promises into practical results for improved population health? What are the critical success factors for private sector engagement in UHC, the role of health women in creating and sustaining health economies, and the role of the pharmaceutical sector?