Heymann - benefits of universal access

The experience in most countries is that universal programs have more success, not only in reaching everyone, but in reaching the most vulnerable. And the reason for that is fairly simple. When programs are targeted only at a few, they’re easy to cut from government budgets, they’re easy to do poorly; there aren’t enough people to advocate for them.  

So when we’ve created, for example, successful primary school or secondary school as societies around the world, none of our countries have said we’re only going to create primary school or secondary school for a small number of children. We’ve said it needs to be for everyone. We have to do the same for 0-5.  

Likewise on healthcare, overwhelmingly what all of our countries have done is said healthcare should be available to all, not that we should provide it to 5% or 10%. And we need to do the same for health and nutrition to our youngest children.