Did you know that over 50% of the global population still does not have full coverage of essential health services1? Our health is crucial to our day-to-day happiness and wellbeing, yet many of us are still missing out on basic care. And, while the healthcare industry is making huge strides in care quality and emerging technologies are opening up new possibilities for what we can achieve, there are still monumental challenges to overcome. World Health Day, which is celebrated on 7th April every year, serves to raise awareness of these global healthcare challenges and encourage governments, businesses and people across the world to take action.
In its 70th anniversary year, the World Health Organization (WHO) is focusing on the challenge of healthcare inclusivity, calling for universal health coverage (UHC) and questioning how we can leverage innovations to provide #HealthForAll for future generations.
Universal health coverage is the provision of inclusive healthcare for all, where individuals and communities receive the care they need without suffering financial hardship. This includes essential health services ranging from health promotion to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care2.
The Sustainable Development Goals call for universal health coverage by 20303, but there is still a long way to go to meet this target. In fact, every year approximately 100 million people are still pushed into extreme poverty (which means they are living on $1.90 or less per day) as a result of their healthcare expenditure4; and WHO estimates that up to 400 million people5 are still living without immunizations, family planning services and basic hospital access. How can we work to standardize healthcare and provide all populations with access to the care that they need?
Philips and other organizations can play a key strategic role in innovating solutions and business models for primary care, using new technologies to provide levels of care that were unthinkable in the past. We must particularly consider the widely neglected areas of technology and infrastructure, which are stifling care quality in many low-middle income countries.
At Philips, we believe that collaboration is the key to unlocking inclusive healthcare for all. While innovations in technology will allow us to provide new types and levels of care, businesses, governments and other stakeholders must work together to implement these solutions in the best way for each individual population, scaling the impact that we can have on people’s lives.
We aspire to lead the healthcare transformation on our journey towards improving the lives of 3 billion people per year by 2025. We believe that through meaningful innovation, technological advancements and responsible leadership, we can help to increase access to quality healthcare worldwide and improve health outcomes for all.
1 http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs395/en/
2 http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs395/en/
3 http://www.who.int/sdg/targets/en/
4 http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs395/en/
5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_J8l8P-5OM&feature=youtu.be
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