Governments not spending enough on health: WHO

Governments not spending enough on health: WHO

MANILA, 3 March 2010—The World Health Organization (WHO) today called on governments across the Asia Pacific region to spend more on health in order to cut out-of-pocket health-care costs for the poor and vulnerable.

Outlining a new strategy designed to help reduce payments for medical care, Dr Shin Young-soo, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific, stressed that poverty and poor health are linked together in a downward spiral.

"When the poor fall sick, the cost of treatment – if they can afford it at all – often tips them further into hardship," said Dr Shin. "And when that happens, they are even more susceptible to ill-health. And the result of that is greater poverty."

Dr Shin said this was an especially acute problem in the Asia Pacific region, where out-of-pocket health-care costs are among the highest in the world. In some countries in the region, more than 60% of money spent on health care comes from the patient's pocket. By contrast, in Germany an average of just 13% of all medical expenses are borne by the patient, with the rest covered by social health insurance or by the Government.

ENDS

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