WHO, World Bank Say Half The World Population Cannot Access Essential Health Services

According to a report released today by the World Health Organization and the World Bank, at least half the world’s population is lacking access to essential health services. Out of pocket expenses related to health care are pushing millions of people into extreme poverty each year, the report says. Both organisations say they are committed to working with countries to increase access to essential health services.

“Tracking Universal Health Coverage: 2017 Global Monitoring Report,” released today, is a key point of discussion at global Universal Health Coverage Forum 2017, currently taking place in Tokyo, according to a WHO press release.

According to the report, some 800 million people spend more than 10 percent of their household budget on health care, and almost 100 million people are pushed into extreme poverty because of out of pocket health expenses.

“This is unacceptable,” the report states.

Despite progress made, “if the world is serious about meeting its goal of achieving Universal Health Coverage by 2030, we all need to be far more ambitious,” it says.

According to the report, Latin America and Asia have the highest rates of people with out of pocket expenditures exceeding 10 or 25 percent of household total consumption or income.

Outpatient medicines are a major driver of “catastrophic health spending,” the report adds.

According to a WHO press release, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim said “Investments in health, and more generally investments in people, are critical to build human capital and enable sustainable and inclusive economic growth. But the system is broken: we need a fundamental shift in the way we mobilize resources for health and human capital, especially at the country level.”

Even in more affluent regions, a growing number of people are spending at least 10 percent of their household budgets on out-of-pocket health expenses, the release says.

 

Image Credits: World Bank – World Health Organization