The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned about the lack of progress at the global level achieve the goal of universal health coverageand especially the rise in health care costs for many families.
In its annual report on universal health coverage, published jointly with the World Bank, the organization pointed out that more households are forced to spend more than 10% of their budget on health, something experts call “catastrophic spending” and which prevents these families from accessing other basic goods, such as food.
Moreover, between 2019 and 2021, no progress was seen in terms of health coverage, something that improved, for example, between the turn of the century and 2015, when the UN Sustainable Development Goals were adopted.
And while the consequences of the covid-19 pandemic not yet fully reflected in the 2023 reportAdvisor to the Director General of the WHO, Bruce Aylward, warned at the press conference that “progress was stalled even before the pandemic”.
According to the report, at least 2 billion people around the world suffer from financial problems due to the cost of health services, and many of them are pushed into poverty because of these difficulties.
Although they were implemented some progress, especially in relation to infectious diseases such as AIDSthe situation is particularly complicated in areas such as reproductive health or mental health.
For Latin America, although some indicators, such as coverage levels, are better than average, progress has stagnated in recent years, which threatens to reverse progress.
“We can conclude that poor health is an important cause of poverty,” said World Bank Health Director Juan Pablo Uribe.
In statements to EFE, Uribe emphasized the importance the world bank they insist on the message that public spending on healthcare must be a priority, and that “more public investment” is needed.
“With 1 or 2% of GDP going to health, universal coverage has not been achieved in any country,” he explained.
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.