The WHO South-East Asia Region is committed to advancing health equity and achieving a fairer and healthier world – the theme of this year’s World Health Day. Globally, COVID-19 has exposed, exploited and exacerbated inequalities that negatively impact health and socioeconomic outcomes between and among vulnerable groups. In countries rich and poor, socioeconomic, political, educational and geographic factors among others have facilitated the spread of the SARS-CoV2 virus, impacting health outcomes and compounding inequities. The pandemic has also exposed inequities between countries and regions, which WHO and its many partners have helped mitigate through key mechanisms such as the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator and its COVAX Facility. Today, WHO is calling on leaders in the health sector and beyond to ensure that every person everywhere has living and working conditions that are conducive to lifelong health and well-being and which promote a fairer and healthier future for all.
The Region has in recent years made concerted efforts to advance health equity through its eight Flagship Priorities and across all programme areas. Health service coverage in the Region is now on average above 63% as compared with 49% a decade ago. The density of health workers – around 70% of whom are women – has substantively increased, with nine countries now above the first WHO threshold, compared with six in 2014. The Region continues to make rapid and sustained progress against diseases of poverty and marginalization such as TB and HIV and is on track to achieve the WHO General Programme of Work (GPW) target of a 30% reduction in maternal and child mortality by 2023. Commendably, the Region has already met and surpassed the GPW target on the proportion of women of reproductive age whose family planning needs are satisfied. Our battle against neglected tropical diseases – which since 2014 has been a Flagship Priority – continues to significantly improve the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable, enabling whole communities to thrive and prosper.
Efforts to protect the most vulnerable first have been a core feature of the Region’s COVID-19 response, reflected most recently in vaccine rollouts. All countries have prioritized health and frontline workers, older persons and people with co-morbidities, in line with global recommendations. Nearly 91 million people in the Region have now received their first dose and more than 15 million have received both doses. For well over a year now, countries have implemented national preparedness and response plans that are equity-oriented, gender-responsive and human rights-focused and have made extraordinary efforts to protect vulnerable groups and ensure they have access to COVID-19 testing and treatment, as well as essential health services. All countries have mobilized whole-of-government, whole-of-society responses that advance the core principle of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda: Leave no one behind.
Throughout the ongoing response and recovery from the crisis, the Region must build on its successes and take every chance possible to identify and remedy preventable social and economic inequities that impede the right of everyone, everywhere, to achieve the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. First, we must work hand in hand with affected communities and individuals to address the root causes of inequities and implement solutions. The whole-of-government, whole-of-society approaches that countries have mobilized to respond to the pandemic must now be applied to address priority diseases and accelerate progress towards universal health coverage (UHC).
Second, we must enhance the collection and use of timely and reliable health data that is disaggregated by gender, age, income, education, migratory status and disability among other factors. The Region’s WHO-supported Health Information Platform, which provides an integrated database of country progress across a range of indicators, must continue to be leveraged to close gaps and eliminate disparities. Third, we must tackle the social determinants of health while also increasing investments in primary health care. And fourth, we must act beyond national borders and strengthen regional and global health security, including by working towards a new international treaty for pandemic preparedness and response.
Our challenge is indeed immense, not least because of the intense fiscal pressures imposed by the pandemic. But throughout the COVID-19 response, recovery and beyond, WHO will continue to highlight the opportunities all countries have to sustain and scale up health spending and identify innovative ways to mobilize additional funds, for example through increased taxation of unhealthy products. In recognition of the message of this year’s World Health Day, in fulfilment of the Region’s Declaration on the Collective Response to COVID-19, and in continuance of the Region’s efforts to advance UHC and health for all, we must sustain and accelerate momentum to reduce and ultimately end all health inequities. For a fairer and healthier Region and world, together we must dare to be bold and achieve our vision.