What is universal health coverage and how does One Health relate to it?

• A. UHC aims to ensure access to essential health services; One Health contributes by preventing diseases at the source and reducing downstream costs.
• B. UHC has no relation to One Health.
• C. One Health replaces UHC.
• D. UHC focuses only on animal health.

Answer: (A)

Universal health coverage aims to ensure that everyone can obtain the health services they need—promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative, and palliative—without financial hardship. One Health connects human, animal, and environmental health and emphasizes preventing disease at its source, early detection, and coordinated responses across sectors. When disease threats originate in animals or the environment, preventing transmission through actions like vaccination in animal populations, safer farming practices, robust surveillance, and responsible antimicrobial use reduces human illness and the downstream costs to health systems. That reduction in burden helps more people access needed care and aligns with UHC’s goal of accessible, affordable health services for all. One Health is a complementary approach that strengthens prevention and system resilience rather than replacing universal health coverage.