Universal Coverage (WHPA constituency statement)
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World Health Professions Alliance (WHPA)
Constituency statement to 78th
World Health Assembly (May 2025)
World Health Professions Alliance (WHPA)
C/o FDI World Dental Federation, Chemin de Joinville 26, 1216 Geneva, Switzerland
info@whpa.org – http://www.whpa.org/
13.3 Universal health coverage: Primary healthcare
Before I start reading the constituency statement, these are the non-state actors co-
signing the statement:
• FIP International Pharmaceutical Federation
• ICN International Council of Nurses
• WMA World Medical Association
• World Confederation for Physical Therapy (World Physiotherapy)
• IFPMA International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers
• International Federation of Healthcare Engineering
• International Federation of Biomedical Laboratory Science (IFBLS)
• The Network: Towards Unity for Health
• International Hospital Federation (IHF)
Four organisations supporting this statement are members of the World Health
Professions Alliance, representing over 41 million dentists, nurses, pharmacists,
physiotherapists and physicians.
UHC is integral to achieving health for all, yet progress is threatened by massive
funding cuts currently ravaging the global health ecosystem, compounding the
deleterious effects of long-term de-prioritization of health services by governments.
Global health workforce shortages persist, albeit uneven progress, and recent
funding cuts have caused job losses and significant training disruptions. This risks
migration of qualified staff and difficult working conditions and higher risks of
workplace violence for remaining staff, threatening the achievement of UHC and
PHC.
The resolution “Strengthening health financing globally” seeks to orient health
financing towards a more sustainable and efficient model. Investing in health
World Health Professions Alliance (WHPA)
Constituency statement to 78th
World Health Assembly (May 2025)
World Health Professions Alliance (WHPA)
C/o FDI World Dental Federation, Chemin de Joinville 26, 1216 Geneva, Switzerland
info@whpa.org – http://www.whpa.org/
professionals is a cost-effective solution because they can ensure consistent and
safe care delivery through evidence-based practices delivered within strict regulatory
frameworks and codes of ethics. In unregulated environments, there is an increased
risk of inconsistent care, errors, and compromised patient safety. The inevitable
downstream costs far outweigh the investment in a highly-educated health
professional workforce.
Interprofessional collaboration, outlined in WHPA’s policy statement, can help reduce
healthcare costs by minimising duplication, preventing errors and improving
continuity of care through multidisciplinary teamwork.
As policy makers seek efficiencies in health financing, we emphasize that long-term
investments in health professionals are a cost-effective intervention to deliver
improved patient outcomes and progress towards UHC.1
[1] See WHPA’s statements for UHC Day 2024