Steps urged to ensure affordable health services for all

Source: The News

Date: November 30, 2010

The United Nations health agency has mapped out what countries can do, including raising more funds and spending it more efficiently, to ensure that everyone who needs health care can access it despite rising costs. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) notes that governments worldwide are struggling to pay for health care, which is rising as populations get older, as more people suffer chronic diseases, and as new and more expensive treatments appear.

 It says that in countries that depend heavily on people paying directly for services at the point of delivery, health bills push 100 million people into poverty each year.

 In its annual World Health Report, the agency shows how all countries, rich and poor, can adjust their health financing mechanisms so more people get the health care they need. It highlights three key areas where change can happen — raising more funds for health, raising money more fairly, and spending it more efficiently. 

“No one in need of health care should have to risk financial ruin as a result,” said WHO Director General Margaret Chan. “The report sets out a stepwise approach. We encourage every country to act on this and do at least one thing to improve health financing and increase health coverage over the coming year.” 

WHO says that in many cases, governments can allocate more money for health. In 2000, African heads of state committed to spend 15 per cent of government funds on health, a goal that three countries — Liberia, Rwanda and Tanzania — have already achieved.

 If the governments of the world’s 49 poorest countries each allocated 15 per cent of state spending to health, they could raise an additional $15 billion per year — almost doubling the funds available, notes the agency.

 Countries can also generate more money for health through more efficient tax collection, says WHO, which cited as an example Indonesia, which has boosted revenue by 10 percentage points. 

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