Universal health care is driven by the accepted principle that when a person requires treatment, they are entitled to health care, free at the point-of-use. The application and reality of a universal health care system is varied throughout the world, ranging from a state-sponsored drug manufacturer providing medicine in Sri Lanka to a full and comprehensive service, from birth through to death, in many European nations. A country agrees to provide a service that includes every citizen, irrespective of gender, race, age, disability, sexual orientation or religious belief. Patients are treated depending on their individual clinical needs, not on their ability to pay.