The current global spread of Covid-19 offers the latest clarion call for building universal systems as a cornerstone of health policy. The outbreak highlights that effective containment policies must provide ready access to quality healthcare for all, but also include dedicated attention to those most at risk. In earlier research on the development of universal health systems in around 50 countries, colleagues and I highlighted that most major moves toward universal health coverage (UHC) occurred following episodes of fragility which up-ended ‘business as usual’. We also found that country wealth was not a major determinant of progress among low- and middle-income countries and that once UHC was achieved, it tended to persist. Read More