PAHO Director highlights efforts of the Americas to recover public health gains lost during the pandemic – PAHO/WHO
Washington, DC, December 12, 2023 (PAHO) – On the occasion of Universal Health Day (also called Universal Health Coverage Day), the Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Jarbas Barbosa , highlighted the efforts made by the countries of the Americas to recover the public health advances lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
These efforts include investment in pandemic preparedness and response capacity; expand access to health services based on strengthened primary health care; and harness the power of innovation in digital transformation.
The PAHO Director also emphasized that countries «are strengthening their health workforce, building interprofessional teams that address the holistic needs of people, regardless of where they live,» and are also reinforcing actions in health promotion and control and disease prevention.
«Building the foundations of resilient, inclusive and expansive health systems means we will be better prepared for the future. And now is the time to act: invest, innovate and implement strategies to strengthen our health systems based on primary care. health». Dr. Barbosa remarked.
In this sense, he mentioned the recent launch of the Alliance for Primary Health Care in the Americas (AxAPS), an initiative promoted by PAHO, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the World Bank, which seeks to «support our countries in accelerating and expanding universal access to health and universal health coverage.
An estimated one-third of the population in the Americas has unmet health care needs even before the pandemic, ranging from 55% in lower middle-income countries to 12% in high-income countries. They also face serious inequalities in the way health care is provided, distributed and made available to the population.
The theme for this year’s Universal Health Coverage Day is «Health for all: time for action.» The day was proclaimed on December 12, 2017 by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 72/138in response to efforts begun years ago to promote access to affordable, quality health services for all people.
