The theme co-related with the World Health Organization's new 5-year strategic plan initiated early this year and focused on a triple billion target.

Under the envisaged targets 1 billion people would be helped to benefit from access to universal health coverage another billion are to be protected from health emergencies and one billion more people to be facilitated to enjoy better health and well-being.

Reaching this goal will require addressing the threats to health from a variety of angles, said a WHO communication received here Thursday.

It was mentioned that the world was facing multiple health challenges that ranged from outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases like measles and diphtheria, increasing reports of drug-resistant pathogens, growing rates of obesity and physical inactivity to the health impacts of environmental pollution and climate change and multiple humanitarian crises.

UN members were said to be brought on board for a collective and coordinated approach to brave the challenges that in one or the other was registered to have their wide spread implications.

Emphasizing the relevance of the theme compilers of the WHO said at least half of the world's population lack full coverage of essential health services while about 100 million people are still being pushed into extreme poverty (defined as living on 1.90 USD or less a day) because they have to pay for health care.

Over 800 million people (almost 12pc of the world's population) were cited to spend at least 10pc of their household budgets to pay for health care.

All UN Member States were reminded to have agreed to try to achieve universal health coverage (UHC) by 2030, as part of the Sustainable Development Goals.