WHO: 50 crore people into poverty and there is no time left

More than 50 crore people have been pushed into extreme poverty as they have to pay for medical services on their own, according to the World Health Organization. 

The WHO noted the impact of covid-19 on the ability of people to access medical services. To this end, the magazine announced two new reports in a statement released on Monday. 

The WHO has warned all nations to try to recover from covid and build a better future for their country and citizens with clear guidelines.

The covid‌-19 pandemic is likely to stop global progress over the past two decades in terms of universal health coverage. It claims that 50 crore people have been pushed into extreme poverty due to their own health costs before the epidemic.

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 This number is now expected to increase significantly. Reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) warn that economic hardship is likely to intensify as governments face tougher economic constraints as poverty rises and incomes fall.

Covid‌-19 claimed that health services were disrupted in 2020, as well as the worst financial crisis the world has ever seen since the 1930s. This has made it harder for people to pay for care, the WHO added. Before the pandemic, nearly a billion people (100 crores) spent 10 percent of their earnings on health, according to the World Bank. 

Uribe said governments would have to take tough decisions to increase spending on medical services amid financial constraints. According to the WHO, 68 percent of people have access to emergency medical care before the outbreak. It states that up to 90 percent of families who are spending on health expenses beyond their means are already below the poverty line.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyes said that there was no time left and that all countries of the world should be able to convince their citizens that everyone can access health services without fear of economic consequences. Such efforts should be initiated immediately and expedited. This means increasing government spending on medical services, as well as increasing the focus on setting up primary health centers near the home.

He said the progress made before the epidemic was not so strong and that economies needed to be built to withstand the shocks of future epidemics. Decisions need to be made towards universal health coverage. The health agency said the poor should be exempted from spending money on medical care. It, therefore, sought to devise schemes to provide services to the poor and vulnerable.

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