WHO warns half a billion people could fall into extreme poverty
(Baonghean.vn) - The World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank (WB) announced that more than half a billion people are at risk of falling into extreme poverty due to health system problems during the pandemic.
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| Illustration photo. Photo: Reuters |
“Out-of-pocket payments for health services have pushed more than half a billion people into extreme poverty,” the WHO and World Bank said in a statement. The pandemic has disrupted health services and strained health systems worldwide, leading to a drop in immunization rates for the first time in a decade, and an increase in deaths from tuberculosis and malaria, the organizations said.
“All governments must immediately renew and accelerate efforts to ensure that all people have access to health services without fear of financial consequences,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, urging countries to increase spending on health and social assistance, focusing on primary health care systems./.
