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World Health Day 2018 - Universal health coverage: everyone, everywhere

'Health for all' has been the World Health Organisation's vision for more than seven decades, World Health Day 2018 is promoting this. From experience the World Health Organisation (WHO) has found that universal health coverage results from a strong political will. Therefore, WHO is calling on world leaders to commit to concrete steps to advance the health of all people. This means ensuring that everyone, everywhere can access essential health services without facing financial hardship.

Starting on World Health Day, 7 April 2018 - the WHO's 70th anniversary - a series of events are planned that focus on universal healthcare coverage with global and local conversations on how to achieve higher levels of health for all members of society.

EURAMET active in measurement research for health
EURAMET is active in measurement research for health and contributes to the vision of accessible health services, through research to improve the underlying measurements that address worldwide healthcare issues such as greater reliability for diagnosing diseases that threaten millions of people such as tuberculosis and anaemia or increasing anti-microbial resistance to drug therapies.

A targeted approach to health-related measurement issues is fostered within EURAMET by the Task Group for Health which aims to unite scientific and technical collaboration among European National Metrology Institutes and Designated Institutes.

20 health themed joint research projects have been funded through EURAMET's European Metrology Research Programmes (EMRP and EMPIR), with new EMPIR health projects currently being selected for mid-2019 starts. These measurement projects support the reliable and efficient exploitation of diagnostic and therapeutic techniques and the development of new technologies to improve healthcare and patient protection from ionising radiation or other treatment hazards.

As a result of EMRP funding, EURAMET has published 14 case studies showing early impact from joint research projects on measurement science for health. The following two case studies were selected as highlights for World Health Day:

Increasing access to anaemia testing
Anaemia is a common health condition that affects around 2 billion people worldwide. Timely treatment effectively restores health and can raise national productivity levels by as much as 20%, according to the World Health Organisation.

The EMRP project 'Metrology for metalloproteins' developed a reference material which links AHD measurements to the International System of Units for the first time. The project also developed an AHD measurement method protocol, which was tested in haematology laboratories to ensure its practicality. These results ensure that haemoglobin measurements produced by the test are reliable and comparable between users, and ultimately suitable for clinical use.

Read more on the 'Increasing access to anaemia testing' case study

Better flow measurement, safer patients
Low flow-rate drug delivery is required for diabetics, neonates, palliative care and patients in intensive care or undergoing anaesthesia. The drugs must be delivered continuously overmany hours, and often the amounts prescribed are the maximum that can safely be given. Infusion systems rely on pumps that must be both reliable and accurate.

The EMRP project 'Metrology for Drug Delivery' project has developed low flow rate calibration facilities which can now deliver improved traceability for the extremely low flow rates required by hospitals for drug infusions - a reduction in the lowest traceable flow rate achievable by one thousand times. 

Read more on the 'Better flow measurement, safer patients' case study

Interested in further examples? Have a look at all our health measurement case studies in the area of 'advancing quantitative diagnosis' and 'supporting safe and effective therapies'.