GENEVA Health is not created primarily in hospitals or clinics but in homes, streets, markets, workplaces, and the environment, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday. He was speaking at the Summit of the H20, an independent annual platform supporting the G20 presidency on an initiative called Future of Global Health Diplomacy in a Changing World. "It's said that health is made at home, and hospitals are for repair," Tedros said in opening remarks.
"It's created in the air people breathe, the food they eat, and the conditions in which they live and work," said WHO top official, quoting Dutch philosopher Erasmus, who said prevention is better than cure. Tedros said that 500 years later, the world is still learning from Erasmus. For that reason, keeping people healthy and preventing disease is one of the three key priorities in WHO's global strategy for the next four years, he added.
"Of course, when people do need care, they must be able to access the health services they need without facing financial hardship," Tedros acknowledged. He said another WHO priority is providing health by supporting countries in reorienting their health systems towards primary health care, which is the foundation of universal health coverage. - Half of world lacks access to health services Half of the world's population lacks access to essential health services, and 2 billion people face financial hardship due to out-of-pocket health spending, said Tedros.
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