Measuring Progress towards Universal Health Coverage

This paper proposes an approach to periodically measure the extent of progress towards universal health coverage using a set of indicators that captures the essence of the factors to be considered in moving towards universalisation. It presents the rationale for the approach and demonstrates its use, based on a primary household survey carried out at the district level. Discussing the strengths and limitations of the approach, it points to how these measures could be further refined. The effort is to find a method of measurement that will apply to any of the alternative ways of progressing towards universal health coverage, however defined and implemented.

The authors thank P M Kulkarni, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, for his guidance in sample design and analysis; Nikhlesh Kumar and N P Goel from the North Eastern Hill University, Shillong, for organising data collection in Meghalaya; and Rajesh Sinha and Keya Chatterjee from Ekjut, Ranchi, for organising data collection in Jharkhand. They also thank two anonymous referees of this journal for comments.