ABSTRACT
The stated intention of universal health coverage (UHC) is to allow all people to access affordable good quality health services when needed. This chapter considers the principles of appropriate training, some of the challenges that may occur, and the scope of considerations that can achieve meaningful UHC. It provides some examples of good practice from the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Any country with a genuine wish to implement UHC will need to consider the implications for training and retaining of the necessary workforce, and encourage those responsible to align their programmes to this overall strategic goal. UHC needs more practitioners to work in primary care settings. The “usual” principles of creating an effective learning environment apply–clinical opportunities that are consistent with the needs of the learner, well supervised, with timely opportunities for observation and feedback, also consistently drawing on the relevant evidence to make informed and “evidence-based” decisions.
