Youth and parliamentarians call for urgent action on financial protection at the 2025 UHC Day Town Hall

Co-hosted by IPSF, IAPO, IFMSA, the ICN Alliance of Student and Early Career Nurses, the WHO Youth Council, the UN Major Group of Children and Youth, CSEM for UHC2030, and UHC2030, the 90-minute virtual event marked the culmination of the 2025 UHC Day campaign under the theme “Unaffordable health costs? We’re sick of it!”

The Town Hall opened with a powerful reminder of the global stakes. Universal health coverage (UHC) remains off track, with millions still lacking access to essential health services and many more pushed into poverty by out-of-pocket health spending. In a context of tightening public budgets and shifting global health financing, the 2025 UHC Day campaign places financial protection at the center of efforts to achieve health equity and sustainable development.

Video messages from global health leaders underscored that decisions made today will shape the resilience and fairness of future health systems. The opening segment also celebrated the announcement of the 2025 UHC Day Champions, recognizing the individuals and groups going above and beyond to ensure that everyone, everywhere, can access the health services they need without financial hardship.

Youth leadership, political responsibility and participation

The first segment brought together youth leaders, parliamentarians and experts on social participation to frame the discussion.

Hon. Sobita Gautam, Member of the House of Representatives in Nepal, reflected on how financial barriers to care disproportionately affect young people and marginalized communities. She emphasized the responsibility of parliamentarians to ensure that UHC commitments are reflected in laws, budgets and oversight, and highlighted the importance of working alongside youth as co-creators of policy solutions.

Rehman Hassan, Co-Chair of the WHO Youth Council, shared how out-of-pocket costs restrict young people’s access to essential services and undermine trust in health systems. He called for meaningful youth participation in health decision-making, stressing that youth engagement must go beyond consultation to include influence over policy priorities and resource allocation.

From a governance and accountability perspective, Nanoot Mathurapote of Thailand’s National Health Commission Office highlighted social participation as a cornerstone of progress on UHC and financial protection. Drawing on Thailand’s experience, she illustrated how institutionalized mechanisms for public and youth engagement strengthen accountability and improve health policy outcomes.

Youth–parliamentarian dialogue: from lived experience to policy response

At the heart of the Town Hall was an intergenerational dialogue between youth advocates and parliamentarians, grounded in lived experiences of how health costs hurt.

In the first exchange, Nasante Margret Nakamba, a health science student from Zambia, described how unaffordable health costs lead to delayed care, interrupted education, and widening inequities for young people and families. Responding, Hon. Joseph Munsanje, Member of Parliament from Zambia, acknowledged the reality of these challenges and the strain they place on households. He emphasized that parliamentarians must confront difficult trade-offs in health financing, while also strengthening budget oversight and prioritizing investments that reduce out-of-pocket spending. He highlighted the importance of listening to youth voices to better understand where financial protection policies fall short and to ensure that reforms respond to real needs on the ground.

The second exchange featured Liam McCarthy, a rare disease advocate from the United States, who spoke about the lifelong financial burden associated with accessing specialized and long-term care. In response, Hon. Mariam Jashi, former Member of Parliament and Deputy Health Minister of Georgia, reflected on the critical role of legislators in transforming lived experience into systemic change. She stressed that financial protection requires strong legislation, sustainable health financing, and political accountability, particularly for people living with chronic and rare conditions. Drawing on her experience in government, she highlighted the need for parliamentarians to work across sectors, engage civil society, and champion inclusive policies that leave no one behind.

In the final exchange, SM Shaikat from Bangladesh highlighted how health costs intersect with urban poverty, gender inequality, and climate vulnerability. Parliamentarians responding to these perspectives emphasized the value of youth-led evidence, participatory budgeting, and institutionalized social participation mechanisms as practical ways to co-create solutions and strengthen financial protection.

Across all three rounds, a shared message emerged: youth are not only affected by health financing decisions—they are essential partners in shaping more equitable health systems.

Celebrating youth leadership and engagement

The dialogue was enriched by questions and reflections from participants joining from different regions, reinforcing the universal relevance of financial protection. Audience in the chat echoed calls for inclusive decision-making, accountability and greater investment in UHC. 

As the Town Hall concluded, organizers highlighted concrete next steps to sustain momentum beyond the event. Participants were encouraged to:

• Share their stories through the #HealthCostsHurt campaign
• Engage parliamentarians using UHC Day advocacy tools
• Participate in upcoming youth-focused dialogues on social participation
• Use country-level data and the new ACT for UHC report and dashboard to support evidence-based advocacy

To close the event on an energizing note, IFMSA hosted the Youth Challenge prize draw, celebrating the commitment of young advocates who participated in the challenge. The prize draw underscored a central message of the Town Hall: youth leadership is not only vital to advancing UHC - it deserves recognition, visibility and continued investment.

The 2025 UHC Day Town Hall demonstrated the power of dialogue between generations and across sectors. By pairing lived experience with political leadership and celebrating youth action, the event reaffirmed a clear call to action: achieving UHC requires protecting people from financial hardship—and ensuring that young people have a meaningful seat at the table when health decisions are made.