UPDATE- 477M more people enjoying benefits of universal health coverage since 2018: WHO chief

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - Since 2018, 477 million more people are enjoying the benefits of universal health coverage, the World Health Organization (WHO) chief said on Monday.

"We have made progress and closed gaps," Tedros Ghebreyesus said in an address to the World Health Assembly in Geneva.

"But on current trends, fewer than half the world’s population will be covered by the end of the UN Global Goals era in 2030, meaning we must at least double the pace," he added.

Ghebreyesus called this year’s High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Preparedness and Response "a valuable opportunity" for leaders to chart a clear path forward toward that future.

"When the next pandemic comes knocking, and it will, we must be ready to answer decisively, collectively and equitably," he said.

Saying that the COVID-19 pandemic showed that it's not a billion people but 8 billion who need to be better protected, he added: "The pandemic has blown us off course, but it has shown us why the UN Global Goals must remain our north star, and why we must pursue them with the same urgency and determination with which we countered the pandemic.”

- Health tax

Ghebreyesus said one of the "key ways" countries are doing that is through the use of health taxes in the fight against non-communicable diseases.

In 2017-2022, he said that 133 WHO member states increased or instituted new health taxes on harmful products, including tobacco and sugary drinks.

Also, "encouraging progress" in eliminating industrially produced trans fat from the global food supply has been seen, he said.

"Since we launched our REPLACE initiative in 2018, we have seen a sixfold increase in the number of people protected by WHO-recommended policies on the use of industrially produced trans-fat, from 550 million people to more than 3.7 billion," he added.

According to the WHO chief, the intake of salt, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, has been significantly reduced in many nations.

On climate change, he cited last year’s launch of the Alliance on Transformative Action on Climate Change and Health, which is supporting 65 countries to build climate-resilient and climate-friendly health systems

- Polio remains only global health emergency

Ghebreyesus stressed that since COVID-19 and mpox have been declared to no longer be of concern, polio remains the sole recognized international public health emergency.

With 20 cases in Pakistan, two in Afghanistan, and eight in Mozambique last year, the WHO saw an uptick after an all-time low of five wild poliovirus incidences in 2021, he said.

He added that three cases of wild poliovirus have been identified so far this year, including two cases that emerged just last week in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"WHO and our partners remain steadfastly committed to finishing the job of consigning polio to history," he said, noting that 3 million Afghan children who had never before had access to the immunization received it in 2022.

Additionally, he said, donors committed $2.6 billion in October to help with the eradication effort.

The World Health Assembly, which began on Sunday and will end on May 30, will determine the immediate and longer-term plans of the WHO, starting with its budget for the next two years, key decisions about sustainable financing, and efforts to improve its processes and accountability mechanisms.