Healthcare for all: every country can do it—an essay by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

I was raised in Eritrea and Ethiopia. The first time I had health insurance was as a student in Copenhagen in 1988. Even though I was only there for four months, they gave me insurance for a year. After that I was fortunate to receive a World Health Organization scholarship to undertake my master’s degree at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, in 1991. Throughout my time as a student in the UK I was able to access the NHS, and all my medical needs were covered.

At the time I was especially struck that the NHS was created after the second world war, when the UK’s economy was in a terrible state. It was an inspirational moment to realise that universal health coverage (UHC) is not a luxury for wealthy countries: it’s the foundation of development and it is possible in every country.

When I came back to Ethiopia it was as a malaria expert, but I also had a growing passion for primary healthcare and UHC. Having seen what can be achieved in a country irrespective of wealth or economic stability, I was convinced that we could achieve this in Ethiopia. I moved back to my home state of Tigray in the north to head its health department, before eventually becoming Minister of …