A new World Health Organization (WHO) report says that governments are deprioritizing health spending post-pandemic.
The 2024 Global Heath Expenditure Report, “Global spending on health emerging from the pandemic,” was published on December 12 for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day.
Details from the report
Large out-of-pocket costs cause financial burden for patients, impacting quality of life. According to WHO, “4.5 billion people worldwide lack access to basic health services and 2 billion people face financial hardship due to health costs.”
· In 30 low- and lower middle-income countries, people pay primarily out-of-pocket for healthcare.
· In 20 of the low- and lower middle-income countries, over 50% of healthcare was paid for by patients out of their pocket.
· Over 20% of health spending was out-of-pocket in over a third of high-income countries.
· In 2022, aggregate global health spending fell for the first time since 2000.
What WHO has to say
WHO is calling for governments to prioritize Universal Health Coverage. “Public funding needs to budget for an affordable package of essential health services – from health promotion to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care – using a primary healthcare approach,” a WHO release said.
