NHK World Special Programs

Universal Health Coverage (UHC) refers to "the availability of health services related to health promotion, disease prevention, treatment and rehabilitation to all citizens when needed at a cost they can afford." The World Health Organization (WHO) raised the issue in 2005, which led to the United Nations General Assembly passing a resolution to promote universal health coverage in December 2012. This program will look at how Japan achieved universal health coverage back in 1961, and at the issues it faced then and now, and what is being done to improve the quality of universal health coverage. It will also feature examples of JICA assistance in the health and medical sector. The program will focus on the experiences of a number of people in Saku, Nagano prefecture to describe how universal health coverage works in Japan. It will also focus on initiatives by the local Saku General Hospital, which helped make the region a pioneer in preventative medicine.