Universal Health Coverage (UHC) means that all people have access to the full range of quality health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship.

The concept of UHC is powerful, but putting it into practice has proven incredibly challenging.

When Helmsley co-hosted an event with UNICEF USA and Eli Lilly on “Accelerating Progress on Childhood NCDs to Achieve UHC” at UNGA this year, we realized that we have the tools to build accessible health systems — but we need cross-sector collaboration to deliver on that promise.

In line with UHC Day 2023’s theme “Health for All: Time for Action,” it’s important to remind ourselves that true progress toward Health for All isn’t possible in isolated disease silos. With the global community re-committing to achieving UHC as a priority amidst climate change, conflict, and myriad other challenges, now is the time to double down on investments that prioritize building resilient, integrated health systems.

Bridging Gaps through Primary Health Care

All efforts and investments in addressing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) — which include type 1 diabetes (T1D) — should focus on integrating NCD care seamlessly into existing health systems. The key to achieving UHC lies in expanding primary health care, especially in low-resource and humanitarian settings.

Successful models like PEN-Plus have demonstrated the effectiveness of empowering nurses and mid-level providers to integrate NCD care into the ongoing continuum of primary care. Helmsley’s grant to WHO’s Regional Office for Africa supports governments in scaling and disseminating the PEN-Plus model to 20 selected countries.

With a similar focus on reaching the most vulnerable, the International Alliance for Diabetes Action (IADA) helps address the escalating diabetes crisis within the context of global displacement. The world is facing an unprecedented number of forcibly displaced people and more people than ever affected by diabetes. IADA’s efforts are critical to improve access to diagnostics, insulin, and essential medicines, strengthen health information systems, and mobilize resources for comprehensive care in vulnerable communities.

Accelerating Progress with Collaborative Investments   

In a time of limited global health resources, multi-funder partnerships are invaluable for mitigating risk and maximizing investment. It’s time to move beyond one-off pilot programs. Instead, donors across sectors — including companies — would be wise to consider combining their investments with existing, complementary efforts.

As one proof point, consider the Eli Lilly and UNICEF USA model: Lilly committed $14.4 million to support UNICEF’s work addressing NCD risk factors among children, strengthen systems of care, and train health care workers to care for patients with NCDs in Malawi, Zimbabwe, Nepal, the Philippines, and Bangladesh. This collaboration strategically directs private capital toward government priorities, preventing conflicts of interest from influencing technical decisions.

The PEN-Plus Partnership is another example. Over 40 leading organizations from the T1D, sickle cell disease, and rheumatic and congenital heart disease communities have joined the Partnership to advance integrated care for this suite of severe chronic conditions. While T1D remains a core focus for Helmsley, we recognize the potential for bold initiatives to drive progress toward UHC, especially for vulnerable children and their caregivers.