Rohit Shishodia
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, World Health Organization (WHO), has said that a strong and sustainable primary healthcare is the bedrock of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

In a statement issued on World Health Day, Dr Ghebreyesus has said that sustainable primary healthcare is also the best defense against disease outbreaks and other health emergencies.

Dr Ghebreyesus said that although work has been done against leading causes of diseases, but still a lot more remains to be done.

Dr Ghebreyesus pointed out that today 50% population cannot access essential health services while millions of women across the globe deliver babies without any help of a healthcare worker. Many children don’t get vaccinations against deadly  diseases while many suffer or die as they can’t get treatment for malaria, HIV and TB.

Dr Ghebreyesus said that this is not acceptable in 2019.

“There will be outbreaks, casualties and other disasters with health consequences but investing in a stronger health system can help to mitigate or prevent them. In the Sustainable Development Goals, the nations have committed to achieve UHC by 2030. To meet these goals, we need to see one billion people benefiting from UHC in the next five years,” explained the WHO DG.  

He asserted that this is not an unattainable goal nor will it need billions of dollars to implement. UHC is achievable, right here, right now and for all.