Building strong and resilient health systems is a global priority. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and other health crises have revealed the weaknesses of health systems worldwide. As countries focus their efforts and investment on recovery, there is a significant risk that the focus and funding for urban health care programs may be overshadowed.
Working at urban slums ensures we can unite urban health care providers and stakeholders across the health spectrum to take a full view of equity gaps. The urban health care model places local healthcare workers and policy makers in the driver’s seat, supporting them to lead change at a municipal level that can also leave a nation-wide impact. We are proud to have successfully developed and tested a scalable framework that ensures local needs for urban vulnerable community care are listened to, prioritised and addressed.
The UH360 Board conducted a review to develop a five-year strategic plan for UH360 program initiatives based on our learnings. Our priorities are to strengthen the building blocks of health systems through five key areas; workforce, service delivery, health information, governance and financing. However, we agreed that we must scale deeper in our operational communities, extending our engagement period up to ten years to drive sustainable change.
Our ambitious plan to develop a strong team to build partnerships and technical cooperation with multiple stakeholders to take UH360 vision forward.
The world recognises that universal health coverage and the security of our health systems are closely connected. The complexity of urban health care means that improvements in quality and access require a comprehensive and system-wide approach. UH360 team will continue to champion urban health programs to close gaps in urban health care and meet their own public health goals.

Amalendu Pal
Director