Example White Paper #3

World Health Organization

United Kingdom

Topic B: Universal Health Coverage

James Smith

American High School

Historically, the United Kingdom has pushed for far-reaching healthcare reforms to ensure that all citizens, regardless of class, race, or gender, have access to healthcare. The U.K. has been a pioneer of universal health coverage since 1948, when the National Health Service was established. The British model for universal healthcare has been followed by many countries seeking to develop socialized health services and has personally assisted nations seeking to develop their healthcare systems. The U.K. has helped develop universal health coverage systems in nations globally and has developed an exceedingly successful universal health coverage system for its own citizens, which has amassed a wealth of knowledge in the proper course of action to develop robust and effective healthcare programs. A key aspect of this committee is determining the correct course of action to encourage socialized healthcare programs in nations that don’t already have one, and providing aid to these nations for their healthcare systems. With universal healthcare becoming increasingly necessary for all countries to adopt, the proper course of action to foster universal healthcare programs, and the type of aid should be provided to nations developing these programs are pressing matters.

The U.K. believes that implementation of universal health coverage in low and middle-income nations should be a top priority to ensure frameworks are in place to aid those who may not have access to other healthcare programs. Ineffective implementation of healthcare within low and middle-class nations could lead to the appropriation of healthcare based on ability, rather than need, which could drastically worsen the already existing difficulties with providing healthcare to underprivileged populations. The U.K. believes strongly that combining direct aid and a framework tailored to specific nations to guide them toward universal health coverage can lead countries to develop effective and sustainable universal health coverage programs. In its experience with developing healthcare reforms worldwide, as well as the successful development and maintenance of universal health coverage for its own citizens, the U.K. is in a prime position to speak to what the proper course of action is and what aid is needed to foster universal health coverage in nations globally.

In aiming to support the transition of not only Western powers, but developing countries and middle/low-income nations, this committee must focus on the balance of direct aid to nations’ healthcare programs and aid in creating a structure for robust and effective universal health coverage programs. To this end, the U.K. believes resolutions should emphasize threefold frameworks: one, aiding in the advancement of general health services within a country in preparation for future development. Secondly, provide guidance and a tailored framework a country can follow to smoothly transition health programs to provide universal health coverage. Thirdly, directly aiding countries developing universal health coverage monetarily, and ensuring that all countries, regardless of economic status, can efficiently and sustainably provide universal health coverage for their citizens.