Access to Health Services Still a Challenge Globally even as World Health Day is Marked

At least half of the world’s population cannot obtain essential health services, according to a new report from the World Bank and WHO.

And each year, large numbers of households are being pushed into poverty because they must pay for health care out of their own pockets.

According to the 2017 Global Monitoring Report, 800 million people spend at least 10 percent of their household budgets on health expenses for themselves, a sick child or another family member. For almost 100 million people these expenses are high enough to push them into extreme poverty, forcing them to survive on just $1.90 or less a day.

“It is completely unacceptable that half the world still lacks coverage for the essential health services,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO. “And it is unnecessary. A solution exists: universal health coverage (UHC) allows everyone to obtain the health services they need, when and where they need them, without facing financial hardship.”

“The report makes clear that if we are serious – not just about better health outcomes, but also about ending poverty – we must urgently scale up our efforts on universal health coverage,” said World Bank Group President Dr. Jim Yong Kim.

“Investments in health, and more generally investments in people, are critical to build human capital and enable sustainable and inclusive economic growth. But the system is broken: we need a fundamental shift in the way we mobilize resources for health and human capital, especially at the country level. We are working on many fronts to help countries spend more and more effectively on people, and increase their progress towards universal health coverage.”

The report further shows that the 21st century has seen an increase in the number of people able to obtain some key health services, such as immunization and family planning, as well as antiretroviral treatment for HIV and insecticide-treated bed nets to prevent malaria. In addition, fewer people are now being tipped into extreme poverty than at the turn of the century.

The public health system in Kenya has been ailing for several years, swinging between “sick but stable” to hanging on a thread in the intensive care unit. There have been moments when the country had rays of hope, hope that the situation could be finally be salvaged, followed by swift disappointment yet again.

The last four years have seen public healthcare in a state of palliative care, mostly attributed to the evolution of healthcare, but the deep-seated problem has been a failed policy implementation framework.

Despite significant budgetary increments by the Ministry of Health, funding for health centers remains inadequate, a situation that has led to acute shortage of health workers in some parts of the country.

According to Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), 20 percent of Kenyans (9 million) experience an illness every month with 7.8 million of those seeking medical attention at over 10,000 health facilities.

In the post-2015 development agenda, the world has committed to universal health coverage (UHC) and achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 3 – to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. This means that everyone everywhere should have access to basic health services irrespective of geographical location or economic status.

In addition, the Kenya Government has committed to meeting constitutional requirements on health and implementing the health strategy contained in Vision 2030.

To achieve these goals, investment in a strong primary healthcare (PHC) system is necessary. Indeed, under-financing of the health sector is one of the causes of its many problems.