Leading health policymakers, thinkers and advocates from around the world came together in Beijing on Wednesday to share innovative approaches to achieving universal health coverage (UHC) at the second Global Symposium on Health Systems Research, which closes on Saturday.

There is no better place for this conversation than China where the government is currently finalizing the first three years of a 10-year plan, which has already created a $125-billion initiative that has provided health coverage to more than 90 percent of the country's residents. In fact, there is no better place than Asia - where economically and politically diverse countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines have committed to achieving UHC - for this conversation.

More than a decade into the 21st century the link between the health of a population and the economic success of a country is more intertwined than ever. Lack of health coverage hurts economic growth, because of diminished productivity, higher future costs and disrupted families and communities. We will continue to work against ourselves if out of pocket healthcare expenses increase and continue to force families into poverty, making other efforts - either by government or development agencies - to boost economic growth and alleviate poverty that much harder.

The data speak for themselves. Thailand achieved universal health coverage in 2002, and nearly 100 percent of its population has health coverage, either through a universal coverage scheme or alternative coverage. Coverage has been provided for 18 million people who were previously uninsured. From 2003 to 2010, the number of outpatient doctor visits increased, - data indicate a very low level of unmet need for health services, and the number of households falling below the poverty line as a result of paying out of pocket for healthcare has decreased significantly.

Why now? With a growing global population, especially in the developing world, now is the time to build on the global momentum - using Asia as a model - and create systems where access to healthcare is no longer determined by a country's or an individual's income level. It's a time to unify the myriad disease-specific approaches and embrace a holistic and systemic approach to addressing health challenges, which will allow us to see the bigger picture that UHC can address.

As recent articles in the British medical journal, The Lancet, documented, UHC has gained the spotlight as a policy that was once "too hard to aim for" in all but the wealthiest countries to one which is now "too crucial to postpone". We couldn't agree more.

As people throughout the world insist on better policies, and leaders are forced to envision systems that take equity into account, we will begin to see governments, households and global institutions making enormous changes to our healthcare systems. The UHC leadership will ensure that countries steer clear of mistakes and pitfalls and make smart choices, as healthier, more financially secure and therefore more productive populations can apply their talents to expanding opportunities.

We have replicable models to follow here in Asia, and other parts of the world. We have some political leaders to emulate, who have taken on UHC as the public health cause of the century and have recognized its power to affect everything from poverty to education, from nutrition to livelihoods. People throughout the world have called on their leaders to find a way to reign in devastating healthcare costs.

No one should risk financial ruin because of healthcare needs, no one should stay sick because he/she is poor, no child should miss school because his/her school fees had to be used to cover health costs, and no one should be forced to pay higher treatment costs because of inadequate prevention.

We cannot continue to let critical moments pass us by. This premier conference in Beijing offers an opportunity for the world to focus its attention on UHC as one of today's paramount public health issues.

Leaders in Asia, who are paving the path toward UHC, should emphasize its capability to attack poverty, most importantly for the 3.5 billion people, half the global population, who live on less than $3.50 per day. And global leaders should turn their attention to Beijing, and listen to those who have seen firsthand the benefits of UHC.

Judith Rodin is president of the Rockefeller Foundation and David de Ferranti is president of the Results for Development Institute.

(China Daily 11/03/2012 page5)