WHO calls for urgent investment in UHC

Marking Universal Health Coverage Day, the World Health Organisation (WHO) urged Pakistan to accelerate investment in health and shield millions of people from crippling medical costs, warning that more than 14 million citizens continue to face catastrophic health expenditures despite notable gains in recent years.

Framed under the global theme "Unaffordable health costs? We are sick of it", the WHO praised the government of Pakistan for the progress made over the past decade in collaboration with WHO and partners. However, it also expressed concern over the persistent financial burden on households.

While commending the government for expanding access to health services over the past decade in collaboration with WHO and development partners, the organisation stressed that current advances fall short of what is needed.

A joint WHO–World Bank report released ahead of the day showed Pakistan has extended universal health coverage to an additional 51 million people since 2015, lifting total coverage from 87 million to 138 million by 2023. The service coverage index has risen from 40 to 56 in the same period.

However, WHO cautioned that sustained and intensified efforts would be essential to reach the global target of 80 by 2030.

In 2024, over 14.8 million people still faced catastrophic health expenditures and 11.1 million were pushed below the $2.15/day poverty line across the country due to out-of-pocket medical costs, according to the last estimates of Pakistan's UHC Monitoring Report elaborated by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with WHO and the British High Commission, Pakistan / Foreign, Common-Wealth and Development Office (FCDO).