New evidence compiled by WHO and the World Bank shows that the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to halt 2 decades of global progress towards universal health coverage.
The organizations also reveal that even before the pandemic, more than half a billion people were pushed or further pushed into extreme poverty because of the need to pay for health services out of their own pockets. The pandemic is expected to make the situation worse.
The findings are contained in 2 complementary reports launched on Universal Health Coverage Day 2021. They highlight the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people’s ability to obtain health care and pay for it.
The first publication, “Tracking universal health coverage: 2021 global monitoring report”, monitors trends in the coverage of essential health services and financial hardship, while “Global monitoring report on financial protection in health 2021” looks at financial protection before and during COVID-19.