Appolonia Adeyemi 
In furtherance of the World Medical Association’s (WMA) commitment to health system strengthening, the President of the WMA, Dr. Osahon Enabulele has sought international assistance to ensure the enthronement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) which would pave the way for affordable care for more people globally.
Enabulele made this known during his courtesy call on the Japanese Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, Mr.Kato Katsunobu on Monday, November 14. UHC means that all people have access to the health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship.
During the visit, the WMA President commended the Japanese Government for its effort at tackling the Covid-19 scourge, as well as efforts at strengthening the health system in Japan. He particularly commended the country’s very high level of UHC and sought the support and collaboration of the Japanese Ministry of Health and the Japanese Government in the WMA’s quest to support countries yet to achieve UHC, especially the Lower-Low-Middle-Income countries. He reiterated the importance of all people of all nations having access to health care facilities and not having to pay out-of-pocket and said that this will greatly reduce the mortality rate globally.
It would help to reduce the number of people that cannot get access to the basic essential health services. Dr. Enabulele thereafter unveiled various frameworks and strategic means through which the Japanese Government could support the initiatives of the WMA. In his response, the Japanese Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, Mr.Kato Katsunobu, expressed great delight at the special visit of the WMA President.
He said he was very pleased with the election of Dr.. Osahon Enabulele as WMA president and commended him for the tremendous and positively impactful work he has so far done in his less than six weeks in office. While expressing the firm commitment of the Japanese Government to Universal Health Coverage, the Minister informed his guest that Japan would be hosting next year’s G7 summit where the issue of Universal Health Coverage would be discussed.
