title: The importance of Leadership towards universal health coverage in Low Income Countries.
abstract: Universal health coverage--defined as access to the full range of the most appropriate health care and technology for all people at the lowest possible price or with social health protection--was the goal of the 1978 Alma-Ata Conference on Primary Health Care in Kazakhstan. Many low-income (developing) countries are currently unable to reach this goal despite having articulated the same in their health-related documents. In this paper we argue that, over 30 years on, inadequate political and technical leadership has prevented the realization of universal health coverage in low-income countries.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Director, Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gonani
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, School of Public Health, University of Malawi, College of Medicine, Blantyre, Malawi.
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Muula
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003906:Developing Countries; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D011057:Politics; D011203:Poverty; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*