Department of Health Management and Policy, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
Department of Health Management and Policy, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon.
Lancet. 2014 Jan 25;383(9914):368-81. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)62339-9. Epub 2014 Jan 20.
The constitutions of many countries in the Arab world clearly highlight the role of governments in guaranteeing provision of health care as a right for all citizens. However, citizens still have inequitable health-care systems. One component of such inequity relates to restricted financial access to health-care services. The recent uprisings in the Arab world, commonly referred to as the Arab spring, created a sociopolitical momentum that should be used to achieve universal health coverage (UHC). At present, many countries of the Arab spring are considering health coverage as a priority in dialogues for new constitutions and national policy agendas. UHC is also the focus of advocacy campaigns of a number of non-governmental organisations and media outlets. As part of the health in the Arab world Series in The Lancet, this report has three overarching objectives. First, we present selected experiences of other countries that had similar social and political changes, and how these events affected their path towards UHC. Second, we present a brief overview of the development of health-care systems in the Arab world with regard to health-care coverage and financing, with a focus on Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and Yemen. Third, we aim to integrate historical lessons with present contexts in a roadmap for action that addresses the challenges and opportunities for progression towards UHC.
许多阿拉伯世界国家的宪法都明确强调了政府在保障全民享有医疗保健权利方面的作用。然而，公民仍然面临不平等的医疗保健体系。这种不平等的一个组成部分与获得医疗保健服务的有限经济渠道有关。最近阿拉伯世界的起义，通常被称为阿拉伯之春，创造了一种社会政治动力，应该利用这种动力来实现全民健康覆盖（UHC）。目前，阿拉伯之春的许多国家都在考虑将医疗保险作为新宪法和国家政策议程对话的优先事项。全民健康覆盖也是一些非政府组织和媒体宣传活动的重点。作为《柳叶刀》中阿拉伯世界健康系列的一部分，本报告有三个总体目标。首先，我们介绍了其他国家类似的社会和政治变革的经验，以及这些事件如何影响它们实现全民健康覆盖的道路。其次，我们简要概述了阿拉伯世界医疗保健系统的发展情况，重点介绍了埃及、利比亚、突尼斯和也门的医疗保健覆盖和融资情况。第三，我们旨在将历史经验与当前背景相结合，制定行动路线图，以应对实现全民健康覆盖的挑战和机遇。
