Universal Health Coverage Partnership
A country-level resource for
Venezuela, located on the northern coast of South America, has a population of 28.9 million people with a life expectancy of 70 years for men and 79 years for women. Political and administrative instability in the government overstretched the health system. In response, Venezuela started to expand access to health care through the ‘Misión Barrio Adentro’ Program in 2003 (with a renewal in 2010). The 2nd Simón Bolívar Socialist Plan 2013-2019 delineates the health strategy and aims to achieve universal health coverage. To this end, the National Health Plan 2014-2019 identifies measures to reorganize the health system through strengthening governing capacity, promotion of quality care, control of communicable and non-communicable diseases, and strengthening health surveillance systems. In 2018, Venezuela joined the UHC Partnership (UHC-P). The UHC-P supports the development of a resilient health system by reinforcing emergency, preparedness and response policies and mechanisms. In 2019, UHC-P initiatives will assess health facilities’ capacity to effectively respond to the on-going health crisis. UHC-P will also assist in updating the national plan for health services and emergency preparedness. You can access important country documents by clicking here.
