‘We Must Get Serious About Primary Health Care,’ Says WHO DG Ahead Of UHC Summit

Riyaz Patel

Some five billion people risk missing out on primary health care by 2030 unless countries demonstrate the political will to close glaring gaps in health coverage, a new report said Sunday, as the UN prepares to host a landmark summit to speed up progress on universal health care (UHC). 

The study, “Primary Health Care on the Road to Universal Health Coverage,” estimates that around 60 million lives could be saved by increasing annual spending on primary health care in low and middle-income countries by some $200 billion per year.

Whilst overall coverage has increased steadily since 2000, the UHC report shows big health service gaps in the poorest countries, especially those those plagued by conflict.

Rural areas tend to suffer from lower coverage , due to a lack of infrastructure, shortage of health workers, and poor-quality care.