MADRID, 18 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
A new report from Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has highlighted the obstacles faced in receiving health care by those who cannot pay, migrants and refugees, and populations in humanitarian crises, showing that universal health coverage is “far from become a reality for the most vulnerable.
“Health coverage today is not even close to being universal. Our teams witness daily the human tragedies caused by lack of access to health care,” says MSF Health Policy Advisor Dr. Mit Philips. .
Universal health coverage, the commitment that by 2030 everyone will have adequate health care without economic harm, is one of the key health themes of the Sustainable Development Goals Summit. celebrates in New York this week.
In this regard, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) regrets that current universal health coverage plans “are leaving behind the same people who are already most excluded (those who cannot pay, migrants and refugees, and populations in crisis or conflict) from access to health care.
The report ‘Missing the goal of universal health coverage: leaving the most vulnerable behind’ highlights the barriers to access to affordable and timely care that people face in twenty countries analyzed.
MSF emphasizes that the way countries develop and implement universal health coverage plans often does not take into account the health needs of some of the most vulnerable groups: those who are forced to give up health care because it is unaffordable. , migrants and refugees and populations living in humanitarian crisis situations.
For this reason, to advance universal health coverage, it is necessary to adapt current approaches towards tangible results for people who are now excluded from access to health care. “Universal health coverage must focus on measures that help the most vulnerable people, who cannot afford to wait for theoretical plans to bear fruit,” adds Philips.
Currently, the global universal health coverage index is 67 out of 100 (for a target of 80 by 2030), with this figure being 42 out of 100 in low-income countries and 14 countries are below 40, according to 2019 data.
In this context, the MSF report concludes that, at the current pace, the goal of universal health coverage by 2030 will not be achieved and that, in fact, “more differences and greater burden are observed for patients and communities.”
“The importance of international solidarity to improve health, beyond health security and other transformation programs, is critical. Without coherent international support, the burden risks shifting to communities and individuals,” notes the report.
POPULATIONS ‘EXCLUDED’ FROM UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE
The report states that universal health coverage does not include countries that cannot afford this coverage, such as Mali, Burundi, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Afghanistan, where “unaffordability causes people to forgo health care.” care or delay it” and “free healthcare initiatives are at risk of disappearing.
In these places, essential medicines are too often not available in public services, forcing people to seek them in higher-cost private establishments, or to go without them altogether.
Another worrying fact is the detention of patients who cannot pay hospital bills, as in Burundi and Zimbabwe. In South Sudan, where aid is almost entirely dependent on donors, cuts in aid have led centers to impose user fees, leading to a 50 percent reduction in consultations and immunization facilities, in sexual and reproductive health and prenatal care.
Likewise, universal health coverage currently also excludes populations in crisis situations linked to epidemics, conflicts and natural disasters where “deficiencies in health services tend to worsen and, for vulnerable groups, worsen disproportionately.”
“In the midst of insecurity, with health facilities few and far between, and without international aid to provide free basic care, people often face giving up on receiving care. Continuity of treatment is a specific challenge in times of crisis , especially for people undergoing treatment for HIV, tuberculosis and non-communicable diseases,” the report highlights.
Finally, another of the population groups excluded from this coverage are immigrants and refugees since “MSF’s experiences in countries such as Belgium, Italy, Poland, Greece, Lebanon and South Africa demonstrate that immigrants face significant barriers to essential services.” and urgent, in some cases even or when the political environment explicitly foresees it”.
“Immigrants’ effective access to affordable health care is frustrated by a series of administrative obstacles and often complex procedures. Particularly serious examples are pregnant mothers and children under five years of age excluded from health services, often
through the use of exorbitant rates,” the report notes.
For this reason, MSF emphasizes that national plans to implement universal health coverage “must include measures
to eradicate the various barriers to access to health care at all levels, guaranteeing free care and adequate cultural and linguistic support.
MSF RECOMMENDATIONS TO END HEALTH INEQUALITIES
Given this situation and in order to achieve universal health coverage without excluding any group, the MSF report concludes with some recommendations for Governments and International Organizations.
First of all, it is necessary to increase the health care provided for the most vulnerable people such as those in crisis, migrants or refugees. Secondly, grant priority support to initiatives that provide subsidized health services within the framework of patient payment exemptions.
They also recommend updating universal health coverage health plans so that they ensure the systematic, proactive and effective inclusion of refugees and displaced populations seeking asylum, undocumented people and other marginalized groups.
Likewise, they point out that the availability of additional international financing will determine the possibility of improving access to essential health services within a reasonable period of time.
2023-09-18 23:12:53
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