GENEVA: World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Ghebreyesus said on Monday that since 2018, 477 million more people are getting the benefits of universal health coverage.
He said there had been great progress, and gaps had been closed.
However, Ghebreyesus added that on current trends, fewer than half the global population would be covered by the end of the UN Global Goals era 2030. Therefore, the pace should be doubled at least, he said in his address to the World Health Assembly.
Ghebreyesus termed this year’s High-Level Meeting on Pandemic Preparedness and Response a great opportunity for global leaders to chart a clear path toward that future.
Collective efforts to protect health
He said when the next pandemic would be knocking, and it would be, we must be ready to answer collectively, decisively, and equitably.
He recalled that the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that it is not a billion people but 8 billion people who are required to be better protected.
He added that the Covid-19 pandemic had blown us off course, but it has shown us why the United Nations Global Goals must remain our north star and why we must pursue them with the same determination and urgency with which we countered the pandemic.
