Covid-19 Throw Half Billion People Pushed Into Extreme Poverty: UN Report
New Delhi: The report released by the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Bank on Sunday said that “More than half a billion people are being pushed into extreme poverty because they have to pay for health services from their own pockets. The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to halt two decades of global progress towards Universal Health Coverage.”
Over the report, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that “With the third year of the pandemic fast approaching, we must urgently strengthen our health systems to ensure they are equitable, resilient and capable of meeting everyone’s needs, including for their mental health.”
The findings launched on International Universal Health Coverage Day, highlighting the devastating impact of COVID-19 on people. If the world is to reach the goal of achieving universal health coverage by 2030, there needs to be a greater commitment from governments to invest in and scale up proven solutions.
Further, Guterres added that “the shockwaves of this health emergency are hitting hardest those countries that lack health systems capable of providing quality, affordable care for all. This means making more and smarter investments in the foundations of health systems, with an emphasis on primary health care, essential services, and marginalized populations,”
A statement from the WHO and the World Bank also said that “In 2020, the pandemic disrupted health services and stretched countries’ health systems beyond their limits. As a result, for example, immunization coverage dropped for the first time in ten years, and deaths from TB and malaria increased.”
However, the new variant of the Covid-19 ‘Omicron’ is now spreading in many countries which could be a new challenge for many nations also including India, the US, and the UK.
(_Vinayak Barot)
