Health Partnerships in Focus: Reflections from the Global Health Partnerships UHC Day Event
19 December 2024
Global Health Partnerships (GHP – formerly THET) were thrilled to mark this year’s UHC day on 12 December 2024 by launching our report in UK Parliament: ‘Advancing Universal Health Coverage through Health Partnerships’. The event spotlighted the transformative power of international Health Partnerships in advancing progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and promoting global health equity.
With only 5 years left until the target date for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (2030), and progress currently in ‘peril’, the opportunity to convene global health leaders to share lessons, progress, and address pressing global health challenges, was certainly timely. The election of a new UK Government creates the opportunity for the UK to reassert its leadership on advancing global health equity and to strive towards the achievement of SDG3 – good health and wellbeing for all – whilst also building an NHS fit for the future. At Global Health Partnerships, we believe we have a unique approach to help realise this reality.
By supporting improvements in health systems and the health workforce through the implementation of a Health Partnerships approach, GHP is promoting mutually beneficial partnerships between health institutions in the UK and in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to improve health across the globe. The launch of our UHC report in Parliament provided an opportunity for experts to underline the importance of collective action, mutual respect, and knowledge exchange in tackling shared issues like workforce shortages, health system disparities, and barriers to care in our shared mission to advance progress towards UHC.
Event Highlights
We were honoured to host an array of experts at the event, speaking to their experience of partnerships for UHC:
Dr Lauren Sullivan MP: The Role of Global Health Partnerships
GHP were hosted in Parliament by Dr Lauren Sullivan, Labour MP for Gravesham. Through her work as a scientist looking at neglected tropical diseases and immune responses to Malaria, Lauren is a champion for public health. Opening the event, Dr Sullivan highlighted how partnerships working together across the world support the advancement of health for all.
Dr Beccy Cooper MP: The UK’s Role in Promoting Global Health Equity
Dr Beccy Cooper, MP for Worthing West, contributed the foreword to our report, endorsing GHP’s approach to advancing global health equity through Health Partnerships. As a passionate advocate for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and experienced public health consultant, Dr Cooper drew on her extensive experience to emphasise that UHC goes beyond access to care, requiring action on social determinants of health, sustainable financing, and workforce development, stating: “While the UK is often excluded from global health discussions, health is inherently a global issue. To improve health outcomes, we must work in collaboration with international governance bodies, health partnerships, and governments worldwide, ensuring that all people, regardless of where they live, can lead long, healthy lives”.
Dr Cooper praised GHP’s report, highlighting that partnerships drive meaningful change by fostering collaboration between UK institutions and LMICs: “by implementing this report’s recommendations, we can achieve systemic change to ensure everyone has access to the care they need.”
“While the UK is often excluded from global health discussions, health is inherently a global issue. To improve health outcomes, we must work in collaboration with international governance bodies, health partnerships, and governments worldwide, ensuring that all people, regardless of where they live, can lead long, healthy lives."
Beccy Cooper in Advancing Universal Health Coverage through Health Partnerships - Report by Elaine Green for Global Health Partnerships
The Rt. Hon. Andrew Mitchell MP: A Call for Global Solidarity
The Rt. Hon. Andrew Mitchell MP, former Secretary of State for International Development and most recently Shadow Foreign Secretary, has long advocated for the importance of overseas aid and supported the work of GHP (formerly THET) in developing global health systems towards the goal of health for all.
Mr Mitchell delivered a compelling address emphasising the UK’s historic leadership in global health, reflecting on decades of progress and UK support for International Development. He cautioned that global inequalities have worsened, with setbacks threatening the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the critical role Health Partnerships play in addressing these challenges, as mutually beneficial collaborations that foster trust, respect, and shared learning. He commented: “Diseases know no borders—no one is safe until everyone is safe. Health Partnerships enable the exchange of skills and knowledge essential for achieving Universal Health Coverage.”
Hon. Jenista Mhagama: Tanzania’s Progress Towards UHC
Tanzania’s Minister of Health, the Hon. Jenista Mhagama, shared her insights on the role of Health Partnerships in making progress towards UHC. She attributed elements of progress towards UHC in Tanzania to the enduring collaboration between Tanzania and the UK, particularly through knowledge exchange, workforce training, and resource-sharing initiatives facilitated by international Health Partnerships. Looking ahead at future collaborations, the Hon. Jenista Mhagama highlighted that health partnerships can contribute towards training programmes to support capacity building, exchange programmes between Tanzanian diaspora to help to bridge skills gap in the Tanzanian Health Workforce, and digital health solutions such as tele-care and digitisation of medical records.
The Hon. Jenista Mhagama highlighted that strengthening governance, building political will and public support for necessary reform is essential to making UHC a reality.
Dr Lucia Vambe: The Role of Diaspora Health Workers in Bridging Global Gaps
Dr Lucia Vambe gave a powerful perspective as a trainer of mental health workers in the NHS and founder of the Zimbabwe Life Project. Her experience as a healthcare professional with deep connections to both Zimbabwe and the UK, has shown her both the challenges and opportunities that come with working across the health systems of the two countries. Drawing on her career in the UK and roots in Zimbabwe, Dr Vambe described the role of diaspora health workers delivering impactful initiatives including training to Zimbabwean nurses, sending vital medical resources, and developing clinical practices tailored to local needs—all on their own time and at personal cost. Lucia said: “Healthcare is a human right, not a privilege. Partnerships allow us to bridge gaps, share knowledge, and strengthen systems on both sides.”
Underscoring the mutual benefits of global partnerships, Lucia noted how UK staff return from global health exchanges with enriched perspectives, adopting innovative approaches learned in low-resource settings into NHS practices. Lucia’s call to policymakers and funders was clear: support partnerships that turn ideas into action, ensuring UHC progresses for everyone, everywhere.
The Power of Partnerships
The event showcased findings from Global Health Partnerships’ new report: Advancing Universal Health Coverage Through Health Partnerships, which outlines the role of Health Partnerships in addressing global health inequities and strengthening global health systems.
Our key findings and recommendations for advancing UHC are:
- Building Resilient Health Systems
Health Partnerships have delivered training to over 100,000 health workers in 31 countries in the last ten years, improving service delivery and expanding access to care. These collaborations are carefully aligned with national health strategies, ensuring sustainability and long-term impact. - Addressing Workforce Shortages
The report identified the global health workforce crisis as a significant barrier to UHC, with a projected shortfall of 10 million health workers by 2030. HPs are tackling this challenge by:
- Training health workers in LMICs
- Facilitating leadership development and bi-directional learning for NHS staff
- Supporting ethical workforce migration policies to balance global health worker distribution.
- The Role of Diaspora Health Workers
NHS staff with roots in LMICs play a vital role in HPs, bridging cultural and systemic gaps. The report emphasized the need to harness the expertise of diaspora health workers through structured NHS engagement programs, ensuring their contributions benefit both their home countries and the UK.
Key recommendations from the report were echoed during the event, including:
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- Reinstating the UK’s commitment to allocate 0.7% of its GNI to Official Development Assistance (ODA), with increased investments in global health workforce development.
- Incorporating Health Partnerships into the NHS England’s’s next 10-Year Health Plan and other key strategies to foster global learning and build a resilient health system domestically and internationally.
- Expanding digital health solutions, including telemedicine and electronic records, to reach underserved communities.
- Enhancing community health worker programs to improve access to healthcare in remote areas.
A Vision for the Future
Speakers emphasized that Health Partnerships represent an equitable, collaborative approach to global health, rooted in shared learning and mutual respect. The partnerships not only strengthen health systems abroad but also enrich the UK health system, including the NHS, by providing UK healthcare workers with opportunities to develop resilience, adaptability, and innovation.
As The Rt. Hon. Andrew Mitchell MP aptly stated,
“Health Partnerships are about mutual respect and shared growth. They are a beacon of global solidarity, ensuring no one is left behind.”
Our report highlights the urgent need for collective action to get SDG3 back on track. By championing Global Health Partnerships and investing in sustainable Health Partnerships, the UK can reassert its leadership in global health while building an NHS fit for the future.
*When referring to the NHS, unless otherwise stated, we refer to the National Health Service institutions across all the devolved nations of the United Kingdom. Global Health Partnerships (formerly THET) facilitates equitable Health Partnerships between institutions across the UK and partners in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).*
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