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COVID-19 has substantially impacted the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), home to nearly 700 million people across 22 diverse countries. All EMR countries have designated health facilities to manage COVID-19 cases, mostly of severe disease. [Extracted from the article]

7 UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation Levels & trends in Child Mortality - report 2015: estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, 2015, United Nations Children's Fund New YorkUN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation. Levels & trends in Child Mortality - report 2015: estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation. 13 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division World population prospects 2019: highlights, 2019, United Nations New YorkUnited Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. [Extracted from the article]

When the world endorsed the Sustainable Development Agenda in 2015, it committed to achieving universal health coverage (UHC), for everyone, everywhere.[1] UHC supports development and health security and represents the ultimate right to health.[2] Unfortunately, during times of conflict, reaching this goal is threatened because health-care use, availability, and affordability supersede issues of equity in access, quality, and financial protection. As international civil servants working with war-torn countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region (EMR), we question every day the relevance of UHC in the context of conflicts. UHC is enshrined in the history of the EMR, with Egyptian papyri older than 3000 years documenting some provision of health care by the state.[3] The role of government in health care is supported by constitutions of several EMR countries.[4] In 2018, all EMR countries signed the UHC2030 Global Compact, and endorsed the Salalah Declaration, demonstrating high political commitment to UHC.[5] Yet the 2019 UHC Global Monitoring Report[6] tells a different story: although the Service Coverage Index increased globally, the average remains less than 60 in the EMR (table).[[6]] The average regional increase in financial hardship was highest in the EMR. [Extracted from the article]