Winner of the 2023 Wakley Prize Essay: the importance of universal health coverage

Earlier this year we invited submissions for the 2023 Wakley Prize Essay 1 Palmer J Bagenal J Francis B Virdi M Wilson C The 2023 Wakley Prize: spotlight themes in The Lancet's bicentenary year. Lancet. 2023; 401: 2098 Summary Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (1) Google Scholar and were impressed by the thought-provoking submissions from diverse settings. Although essays could be on any health topic, we encouraged submissions about the five Spotlights of The Lancet's 200th anniversary year—universal health coverage, health and climate change, research for health, mental health, and child and adolescent health. It was a pleasure to read the wide-ranging essays on these themes and we thank everyone who entered the competition this year. Learned helplessnessIt was my first job after medical school, and I barely lasted a week. I started work as a house officer at a state-owned hospital in southwest Nigeria a couple of years ago after graduating from medical school. My first posting was to the obstetrics and gynaecology unit. Part of my role there was to see all the new patients presenting to the department and then inform my senior colleagues about them. Full-Text PDF