Over the years the question of “Are healthcare costs causing poverty?” has been raised and now we may have a clearer answer, due to a recent report done by WHO (World Health Organization) and the World Bank showing that even before the pandemic more than half a billion people were pushed into extreme poverty due to healthcare services costs. These were then of course further impacted because of COVID-19 and the pandemic.
As said by WHO, in 2020 the pandemic stretched countries’ health systems beyond their limits as they struggled to deal with the impact of COVID-19. Making it extremely stressful and draining for healthcare systems all over the world to keep up.
The pandemic triggered the worst economic crisis since the 1930s which has made it increasingly difficult in every country for people to pay for care. The poverty that is a result of health care costs is an ongoing global problem that doesn’t get near enough attention.
“All governments must immediately resume and accelerate efforts to ensure every one of their citizens can access health services without fear of the financial consequences. This means strengthening public spending on health and social support and increasing their focus on primary health care systems that can provide essential care close to home.” Said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
To ensure that everyone has affordable healthcare services there will need to be and must be major changes in the way countries respond, so that poor and vulnerable populations are made a priority. Keeping these populations safe and protected is crucial to the safety and well-being of all and should not just be made available for a selected few.
When countries are able to work together to make this happen, we will see a drastic positive change in the way we respond to health care news and what is done about it. Resulting in a clearer approach to communication, which will greatly help towards better responses to any possible future pandemics and the health of each population around the world.
