World Health Day: WHO turns 75, celebrates health progress in Lao PDR

Celebrating World Health Day and 75 years since the World Health Organization’s (WHO) founding, officials from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance and WHO, and representatives of the international community and health sector, reflected on the progress on health in Lao PDR over the previous years, and the work ahead.

Via a photo gallery and remarks, the event highlighted several health milestones achieved in Lao PDR,  including:

The grave threat of malaria has almost been eliminated; cases in Lao PDR have fallen from an estimated 460,000 in 1997 to 2,305 last year.

From 2000 to 2020, the number of women who lost their lives during childbirth fell by 78.7 per cent from 579 per 100,000 births in 2000, to 126 in 2020 – one of the fastest-falling rates in the world (see article).

In 2017, the National Health Insurance scheme was rolled out to all provinces (except Vientiane Capital), aiming to provide access to health care for everyone without financial hardship.

In 2019, Lao PDR became one of 30 countries to ban e-cigarettes and other new nicotine products, becoming a global leader in the fight to protect health.

Speaking at the event, Minister of Health HE Dr Bounfeng Phoummalaysith said: “I am happy to report that over the past decades, Lao PDR has made incredible progress on health. Life expectancy and maternal health has dramatically increased. Several diseases, previously a huge cost on lives and livelihoods, are approaching elimination. This is the result of dedicated efforts and investment those in the health sector as well as communities and other relevant ministries, with the support of WHO and development partners.”

“During this journey WHO has been a trusted partner for many decades. The first UN agency to establish an office in our country, we deeply appreciate their unwavering support and commitment to improving health in Lao PDR. Without them, we could not have achieved the milestones thus far, and we look forward to continued collaboration to tackle the problems ahead.”

WHO Representative Dr Ying-Ru Lo said: “Since the country joined WHO in 1950, our work has meant supporting Lao PDR and its people to help achieve many truly impressive milestones with the dedicated support of our partners.”

“As we look forward and decide the actions necessary to build on these achievements, we must remember to look back. The challenges we face now may seem insurmountable – inflation, declining health budgets, and climate change – but the historic problems likely seemed equally impossible.”

“Now is the time to accelerate progress. Three things are essential: an increased allocation to health in the national budget; sustained and increased support for essential health services from development partners; and increasing tax revenue – and reducing tax exemptions – from harmful products like tobacco and alcohol for things that matter, like the National Health Insurance scheme. While the task to ensure health for all in Lao PDR may seem enormous, the history of health gains is an excellent reminder that it can be done.”

The event also highlighted a recent Ministry of Health, Lao Statistics Bureau and WHO study of financial protection before and after the introduction of the National Health Insurance scheme, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. It found that the number of people facing catastrophic spending on healthcare had fallen while those seeking care when ill increased – but also identified challenges, including gaps in service availability particularly for the poor and those in rural areas, and limited awareness of the scheme. Overall, the scheme continues to face a funding shortfall.

WHO’s more than 60 years of work in Lao PDR has been supported by an extensive range of Governments, health and development agencies, foundations, and private sector partners. Support is currently provided by the Governments of and entities from: Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, Japan, Luxembourg, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America - as well as a range of international organizations.