Pune: The Indian Institute of Education (IIE), Pune, organised a national symposium on Universal Health Coverage (UHC), on the occasion of UHC Day which is observed on December 12.
On a global level, the United Nations has called for a global coalition for universal health coverage to become a cornerstone of the sustainable development agenda. The symposium was attended by around 200 people involving researchers, academia, policymakers and others.
Prof Mrunalini Fadnavis, Vice-Chancellor, Solapur University, inaugurated the event. All the 200 participants of the symposium made a human chain to commemorate the anniversary of UHC Day, 2018.
The objective of the national symposium was to bring national-level speakers and representatives from academia, researchers, policymakers, NGOs and student communities from different universities and institutes to contribute to multi-sectoral partnership and strategic advocacy of achieving universal health coverage as outlined in Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Dr NS Umrani, Pro-VC, SPPU; Dr Sanjay Mehendale former ADG, ICMR, New Delhi, GOI and Dr Rajiv Yeravdekar, Dean, Faculty of Health and Biological Science, Symbiosis International University were also present on the occasion.
Dr Mohan Agashe, a veteran film and theatre actor, said, “Mind is the music of an instrument called the body. It is important to keep the mind and the body healthy.” Prof Manoj Kar, an organiser of the UHC Day 2018, emphasised that forums like UHC Day 2018 help us understand the multidisciplinary and trans-disciplinary approaches to health which cannot be addressed as a sector only.
Two years ago, on the same day, the UN had unanimously endorsed a resolution urging governments to ensure universal access to health coverage without financial hardship.
Advancing advocacy issues, strategic partnerships, making partnerships and government’s responses, identifying opportunities for the creation of lasting and sustainable impact are some of the objectives of UHC Day celebration. The symposium was supported by the Indian Council of Social Science Research, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), GOI and the Government of Maharashtra.
Indian Institute of Education has been organising the UHC Day since 2014 for serving the global agenda ‘Health for All’ through partnerships and collaborators for health systems and policy research. Dr Samiran Panda, Director, National AIDS Research Institute, Indian Council of Medical Research delivered the valedictory address.
