How can countries chart their own course toward universal health coverage? Like many ambitious global goals, universal health coverage (UHC) remains an aspiration for many countries. The World Health Organization estimates that half the world's population lacks access to basic health services. Moreover, this already staggering number masks inequities that exist between and within countries: gaps between rich and poor, men and women, young and old, and among people of different ethnic backgrounds. UHC promises to give all people greater access to higher quality health services without the fear of financial hardship. But the task of turning this vision into reality poses a significant challenge for countries at all stages of economic development. In The Road to Universal Health Coverage, Jeffrey L. Sturchio, Ilona Kickbusch, Louis Galambos, and their contributors explore the ways in which the private sector is already helping countries achieve universal health coverage. Stressing the many positive aspects of UHC developments, the book focuses on the new health economy and the sometimes controversial dimensions of the private sector helping countries achieve UHC. Theoretical chapters are complemented by a series of case studies that explore the myriad ways in which private sector actors are already addressing UHC. What are the conditions required for countries to translate their successful experiences and policy promises into practical results for improved population health? In answering this question, the contributors examine the relationship between health employment and economic growth. They also analyze the critical success factors for private sector engagement in UHC, the role of healthy women in creating and sustaining healthy economies, and the role of the pharmaceutical sector. Looking to the political, economic, and social implications of moving from aspiration to implementation, The Road to Universal Health Coverage points the way to the many opportunities ahead as companies continue to work with governments and civil society partners to help achieve UHC. Jean-Louise Arcand, Hector Arreola-Ornelas, Nathan J. Blanchet, Christine Bugos, Jim Campbell, John Campbell, Jr., Ibadat Dhillon, Donika Dimovska, Christian Franz, Michael Furst, Louis Galambos, Belen Garijo, Adeel Ishtiaq, Sowmya Kadandale, Ilona Kickbusch, Felicia Marie Knaul, Jeremy Lauer, Robert Marten, Justin McCarthy, Harald Nusser, K. Srinath Reddy, Yasmine Rouai, Jeffrey L. Sturchio, Cicely Thomas, Tana Wuliji, Snow Yang, Pascal Zurn

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) - including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, asthma and other chronic respiratory conditions, and cancers - are the leading causes of death worldwide. An estimated 36 million people die from such diseases each year; this represents roughly two out of three deaths globally. Eighty percent of these fatalities occur in developing countries. The statistics are staggering, yet millions of these deaths are preventable. This is an urgent global health issue that demands analysis of gaps in NCD research, new policies and practices, and actionable recommendations to close the gaps. The Johns Hopkins Institute for Applied Economics, Global Health, and the Study of Business Enterprise convened an NCD Working Group of leading scholars to examine a wide range of issues that both the private and public sectors must address to make sustainable progress in NCD prevention and treatment in lower- and middle-income countries. Collected in this volume are essays on five key areas where strengthened policies and health systems can have the most impact in the near future. Features: accelerating regulatory harmonization; structuring supply chains; improving access to interventions; restructuring primary care; and promoting multisectoral and intersectoral action. While there is a growing literature on the problem of NCDs, none of the available studies provides background on the range of challenges matched with specific steps that can be taken by the public sector, private sector, and civil society working together. Noncommunicable Diseases in the Developing World presents a framework for understanding the salience of specific policy recommendations and detailed steps that can be taken now to move forward in the global campaign against NCDs. This book will be of interest to practitioners, scholars, and students in public health as well as those framing and implementing health policies in the private and public sectors.