World Health Day: BiH far from equal access to healthcare services for citizens

(Patria) - Since 1950, under the auspices of the World Health Organization, World Health Day is celebrated on this day. This year it is under the slogan "Building a fairer, healthier world".

The World Health Organization emphasizes that the ultimate goal of the organization's engagement is for all people to have access to basic health services regardless of social status, but the slogan itself indicates that inequality is very much visible, both globally and regionally.

The Covid 19 pandemic, the world's biggest health crisis, has further highlighted the fact that some people can live healthier lives and have better access to health services than others.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the fact is that the pandemic has masked all other health problems faced by citizens, and all diseases that were at the top of the list in previous years have now completely slipped out of statistics and records.

The coronavirus has unfairly affected some people, exacerbating existing inequalities in health and well-being within, as well as between countries, the World Health Organization announced.

On the occasion of World Health Day, the WHO reminds that within countries, illness and death from coronavirus were higher among groups that were discriminated against, poor, socially excluded, and in poor daily living and working conditions, including humanitarian crises.

It is estimated that the pandemic pushed between 119 and 124 million people into extreme poverty last year. There is also compelling evidence that it has increased gender disparities in employment, with women losing jobs more than men in the last 12 months.

The WHO reminds that vaccines alone will not overcome the coronavirus and that essential goods such as medical oxygen and personal protective equipment, as well as reliable diagnostic tests and medicines, remain important.

"At least half of the world's population still does not have access to basic health services. More than 800 million people spend at least 10 percent of their household income on healthcare, and almost 100 million people are pushed into poverty from their own pockets every year," the UN organization stated.

Many countries, as stated, face challenges in finding resources for concrete action, so it will be of vital importance to ensure that investments have the greatest impact on those most in need and that disadvantaged communities are included in the planning and implementation of these programs.

The WHO also states that it is necessary to build safe, healthy, and inclusive neighborhoods and strengthen data and health information systems. (BHT)