“Without health, people have nothing”, Dr Tedros Adhanom, Director General of the World Health Organisation.
In July 2017, Graça Machel, Mozambican politician and widow of former South African President Nelson Mandela, and Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland, visited Tanzania to promote progress towards Universal Health Coverage. Universal Health Coverage means everyone receives the health care they need without suffering financial hardship. As representatives of The Elders, an independent group of global leaders established by Nelson Mandela who work together for peace and human rights, they were in Tanzania to offer help and advice to the government in preparation for what they hope will be a set of reforms culminating in universal healthcare.
Hundreds of millions of people around the world are currently denied basic health services or forced to pay unaffordable fees for their care. Following two recent United Nations resolutions, all countries are committed to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC), whereby everybody receives the health services they need without suffering financial hardship.