BRICS and Universal Health Coverage

Three emerging dynamics are affecting the global movement towards universal health coverage, making it fragmented, complex, and interesting. First of all, the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and other emerging countries, like Mexico, are joining the movement, presenting new opportunities and new challenges. In the meanwhile, budget constraints are compelling almost all developed countries to make a U-turn, implementing restrictive reforms. Third, unprecedented growth in financial resources as part of development assistance for health caused the proliferation of global initiatives, governance mechanisms and management structures.

"Understanding the Role of BRICS Countries in the Global Movement towards Attaining Universal Health Coverage" (Bellagio Centre, Rockefeller Foundation, 15-17 May 2013) is the title of the workshop organized by CERGAS Bocconi's Fabrizio Tediosi and Eduardo Missoni and financed by the Rockefeller Foundation, to investigate whether BRICS are assuming a leading role in the movement and how their efforts are changing the idea of universal health coverage, traditionally understood as the combination of access to quality health services for all in need and the idea that people should not suffer financially as a result.

"Emerging and developed countries are apparently taking opposite trajectories" Tediosi says, "and scholars are asking themselves whether BRICS countries are now the leading force or developed countries' initiatives, like Obama's reforms, are still the core".

The workshop, chaired by Universitaet Basel's Donald de Savigny, will be attended by more than twenty experts, including Martin Mckee (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine) and Yanzhong Huang (Council on Foreign Relations).