477M more people enjoying benefits of universal health coverage since 2018: WHO Chief

ISLAMABAD, May 22 (AA/APP): 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.
“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,” Ghebreyesus urged during his address to the World Health Assembly.

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.

Recalling that the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that it’s not a billion people but eight billion people who need to be better protected, he said.

“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,” he added.