Corrections to headline and paragraph 1 in Dec. 12, story: 500,000,000 figure now includes those who are already living in extreme poverty

By Manas Mishra

(Reuters). -Around half a trillion people in the world were pushed further into poverty by their ability to pay for medical costs from their own pockets. With the COVID-19 pandemic likely to increase the problem, according the World Health Organization as the World Bank on Sunday.

According to joint statements from the two organizations, the pandemic caused disruptions in global health care and created the most severe economic crisis since 1930s. This made it more difficult to afford healthcare.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (WHO Director-General) stated, “All governments must immediately restart and accelerate efforts in order to ensure that every citizen can access healthcare services without fear of financial consequences.”

Tedros encouraged governments to focus more on their health care systems in order to continue on the path towards universal coverage. This is defined by WHO as all people having access to essential health services without any financial hardship.

The United States is one of few industrialized countries without universal healthcare. Healthcare has become a significant political topic.

The pandemic exacerbated global health problems. Immunisation coverage fell for the first-time in ten year, and there were more deaths due to tuberculosis or malaria.

Juan Pablo Uribe from the World Bank’s global director for Health, Nutrition and Population said, “Governments will need to make difficult choices within a restricted fiscal space to preserve and increase their health budgets.”