UHC in the here and now: One step at a time

It is now a tradition for the Prince Mahidol Award Foundation to host the annual Prince Mahidol Award Conference (PMAC), one of the biggest international conferences on policy-related health issues. Prof. Dr. Vicharn Panich, Chairman of the Prince Mahidol Award Conference International Organizing Committee, spoke of the goals and purposes of this grand, invitation-only conference:

“We want to spark conversations about policies on public health issues. Each year, we join forces with many international organisations to drive the issues forward. As a foundation that was established to commemorate the anniversary of Prince Mahidol of Songkla, The Father of Modern Medicine and Public Health in Thailand, we Änd that the PMAC is the right platform to honour his dedication to Thailand’s public health.”

The theme of the conference this year is “Accelerating Progress Towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC)”.

“UHC has been given a lot of attention in recent years and we have actually held two PMACs on the topic before,” said Prof. Dr. Vicharn. “However, it is the continual effort and passionate commitment that gave rise to this year’s theme.”

In 2012, the PMAC presented the theme of “Moving towards Universal Health Coverage: Health Financing Matters”, while in 2016 the theme was “Priority Setting for Universal Health Coverage”.

“This year, we feel that the urgent need for the UHC can no longer wait. It is now one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). But the reality is that progress has been slow and uneven.”

Prof. Dr. Vicharn explained the importance of the UHC: “Health is a human right,” he said. “UHC covers everyone, especially the most vulnerable. When I was a kid in the countryside, I witnessed cases of children having to sell their assets in order to pay for the parents’ treatment. They had to do everything, in part out of social pressure, and they ended up destitute and miserable. UHC will help these people who are valuable members of the labour force, so it in turn helps contribute to the country and to the wealth of the nation as well.”

Discussions and sub-themes include implementation challenges and innovative solutions for UHC 2030, sustainable Änancing for expanding and deepening UHC, and efforts to adapt to the changing global landscape.

“UHC is such a delicate topic. This year, there are a great number of side meetings supported by many organisations aimed at addressing the complexity of this. Moreover, each country has their own ways and paths to achieve it.”

“The most important thing is that you have to proceed with the right knowledge and tools. Do it wrong, and you lose it all. This is why a conference like PMAC will help all parties to tap into the research, and together Änd effective solutions.”

The 2020 PMAC will host more than 1,000 guests between 28 January and 2 February 2020. When asked about the expected results of the conference, Prof. Dr. Vicharn concluded:

“We hope the conference will be a driving force, and serve as a step forward towards achieving better healthcare throughout the world.”