Underinvestment threatens universal health coverage goals

This article is published in association with United Nations.

Coinciding with Universal Health Coverage Day on Thursday the World Health Organization (WHO) released its 2024 Global Health Expenditure Report, revealing troubling declines in government health spending.

The report, titled Global Spending on Health: Emerging from the Pandemic, shows a reduction in per capita government health expenditures in 2022 across all income groups, following a surge during the early COVID-19 pandemic years.

This concerning trend undermines progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC), a goal enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the agency said.

This year, Universal Health Coverage Day emphasises the urgent need for governments to prioritise financial protection, ensuring access to essential health services for all without risking financial hardship.

A global health emergency

The statistics are stark: 4.5 billion people worldwide lack access to basic health services, and 2 billion experience financial hardship from healthcare costs.

For many, the high price of medical care presents impossible choices between vital treatments and necessities like food and housing.

These challenges disproportionately impact vulnerable populations, including women, children, and adolescents, who face the greatest barriers to healthcare access.

“While access to health services has been improving globally, using those services is driving more and more people into financial hardship or poverty,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

“Universal Health Coverage Day is a reminder that health for all, means everyone can access the health services they need, without financial hardship,” he added.

The cost of inaction

Reduced government health investments can have far-reaching consequences.

Without sufficient funding, health systems waver, leaving populations vulnerable in both their routine health needs and crises.

The COVID-19 pandemic shed light on the connection between UHC and health security, underscoring the need for resilient health systems that protect everyone, everywhere.

Investing in health is not just a moral imperative but an economic one.

Access to affordable healthcare improves workforce participation, boosts productivity, and fosters social cohesion.

On the contrary, when healthcare costs force people into poverty, the economic ripple effects can be devastating.

UHC Day 2024: A call to action

Since the UN General Assembly’s endorsement of UHC in 2012, global leaders have reaffirmed their commitments in multiple declarations. Yet, financial protection has worsened over the last two decades.

This Universal Health Coverage Day, advocates are urging governments to meet their commitments by prioritising health funding in national budgets.

The 2024 UHC Day theme, “Health: It’s on the Government”, underscores the role of governments in ensuring equitable and affordable healthcare for all.

Advocates are calling on leaders to protect the poorest and most vulnerable from impoverishing health costs and to ensure no one has to choose between healthcare and basic needs.

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