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Add to Preferred SourcesAsian Development Bank (ADB) President Mr. Takehiko Nakao and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) President Mr. Shinichi Kitaoka opened the “ADB-JICA Meeting on Achieving Universal Health Coverage in Asia and the Pacific” in Tokyo. Ensuring universal health coverage (UHC) is crucial to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets under ADB’s Strategy 2030.
The meeting was held in the context of the G20 Summit, which will discuss UHC as a key topic. ADB and JICA have been partners in the health sector, as well as in infrastructure, climate change, education, and gender equality. Both institutions will help prepare concrete outcomes for UHC at the summit.
UHC is a key pillar of SDG 3 to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. The World Health Organization defines UHC as ensuring that all people can use the health services they need, at sufficient quality, without being exposed to financial hardship.
Mr. Kitaoka said: “Collaboration between ADB and JICA should be strengthened in order to achieve UHC in this region by tackling the threat of communicable diseases as well as aging society. Sharing all of our experiences and lessons, whether successful or unsuccessful, is one of our responsibilities in this region to advance UHC.”
In his opening remarks, Mr. Nakao said, “Under our new long-term Strategy 2030, in response to Asia and the Pacific’s growing needs for health services, ADB is scaling up our health sector operations with a focus on UHC.”
In 2018, ADB loan and grant commitments in the health sector totaled $516 million for 13 projects, the highest numbers for health since 2010. The projects included support for enhancing provincial-level health services in Papua New Guinea; the integration of maternal and child health services in Tajikistan; strengthening of health systems in Bhutan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mongolia, and Sri Lanka; and investments in private hospitals that expand access to low-cost quality maternity care in Indonesia.
Original source: ADB
Published on 13 February 2019