World Health Report 2010: Health systems financing - the path to universal coverage

Berlin, Geneva, 22 November 2010 | "The objective was to transform the evidence, gathered from studies in a diversity of settings, into a menu of options for raising sufficient resources and removing financial barriers to access, especially for the poor. As indicated by the subtitle, the emphasis is firmly placed on moving towards universal coverage, a goal currently at the centre of debates about health service provision." (Margaret Chan, WHO DG)

Governments worldwide are struggling to pay for health care. As populations get older, as more people suffer chronic diseases, and as new and more expensive treatments appear, health costs soar. Even in countries where health services have traditionally been accessible and affordable, financing mechanisms are increasingly stretched. In countries that depend heavily on people paying directly for services at the point of delivery, health bills push 100 million people into poverty each year.

This year's World health report gives governments practical guidance on ways to finance health care. Taking evidence from all over the world, it shows how all countries, rich and poor, can adjust their health financing mechanisms so more people get the health care they need. It encourages the international community to support low and middle-income countries' efforts to increase health coverage.

WHO presented the report to a ministerial conference on health financing, hosted by the Government of Germany. The organization and its partners will then embark on a programme to help countries review their health financing systems and strategies alongside their national health policies and plans. It will encourage and facilitate exchanges of experiences between countries, and help countries adjust financing systems so that more people get to access the health services they need."

(Source: WHO)