UN member countries urged to spend 5% of GDP on universal health care

News Desk

ISLAMABAD: Speakers at a breakout session on Tuesday urged the United Nations member states to accelerate focus on poor, vulnerable and marginalized groups by ensuring implementation on resolutions passed to achieve the target of Universal Health Coverage by 2030.

The breakout session was held on the occasion of “Third Inter-Parliamentary Union Regional Seminar on Achieving Sustainable Development Goals for Parliaments of Asia-Pacific”.

World Health Organization (WHO) Representative to Pakistan Dr Palitha Gunarathna Mahipala urged the world to spend at least 4 to 5 per cent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on health to ensure equitable access to the masses.

Dr Palitha also underlined the need to implement the resolution passed to ensure universal health care by 2030 in the context of achieving the SDGs.

It was imperative to make access to basic health services possible to all, Dr Palitha said, adding that by 2030, 5 billion people should have access to universal health care.

The WHO representative expressed concern that half of the world’s population didn’t have access to health services whereas in some countries, the high cost of health services was a barrier to obtaining social protection coverage.

“Around 100 million people were falling below the poverty line,” Dr Palitha remarked.

He said Pakistan formed a Task Force on SDGs in 2017 within the National Assembly which was admirable and an example for developing countries.

Pakistan’s parental mortality rate has reduced which was a good omen, but more efforts were needed in this area to further reduce the number of deaths, said the WHO representative.

He said in Pakistan, 69 per cent deliveries were being done by specialists, which needed further improvement.    Dr Palitha said Covid-19 has badly affected the health and the economy, whereas climate change was also a major challenge for the countries.

The recent rains and floods in Pakistan are a result of climate change which is a lesson for other countries, he added. About 33 million people were affected by the recent floods in Pakistan, one million houses were damaged and millions were displaced.

The representative from Bangladesh stressed the need to promote physical and mental health and well-being, and to extend life expectancy for all.

“We must achieve universal health coverage and access to quality health care. We must leave no one behind,” he remarked.  He urged the legislators to play their due role to achieve the SDGs and for the betterment of the people.

Nepal Assembly deputy speaker noted that the Covid-19 had collapsed the health system of the countries, so we should learn lessons from it and evolve new strategies to achieve universal health care by providing equal access to health to everyone.

Member Parliament Nisar Ahmed Cheema said that health workers have been deployed across Pakistan to reduce maternal mortality.

Cheema said during the past, traditional methods and untrained people used to perform deliveries in remote areas, leading to an increase in paternal fertility rates, however after disseminating information and awareness about the delivery the death rate has reduced.

“The Pakistan government is well aware of the situation and fully focused on ensuring universal health care as it is a basic right of everyone,” said Cheema.

At present Pakistan was facing a challenge in the form of floods, he said and expressed the hope that the country would overcome this challenge soon.