Seventy-five years ago today, on World Health Day, the World Health Organization was established. The slogan raised this year is Health for All, a human right the World Health Organization was established to guarantee.
Of course, there is a wide gap between its ambitions and its achievements, and between the situation today and the WHO’s basic premises.
Nonetheless, there is no doubt that the increase in life expectancy unequivocally attests to the fact that humanity has made significant progress. We now have great hopes for life. This is the result of the progress in developing vaccines and the improvements in our quality of life.
It is also true that what are now called chronic diseases led to quick, sudden deaths before medical science turned them into chronic diseases that humans can live with through medical follow-up and medication.
Infant mortality rates have also dropped sharply, allowing us to claim that global achievements in health have had a real positive impact on people’s lives and their relationships with life.
Thus, we must not underestimate or downplay these achievements.
On the other hand, while the right to health is enshrined in international agreements and constitutions, the reality is that we are far off from having ensured access to healthcare for all. The coronavirus pandemic, because of the numbers of people it took from our communities, may have been a wake-up call that we still have a lot to do.
Moreover, we have yet to find cures for a broad set of other diseases. At most, we have developed drugs that allow patients to live with the disease. For example, heart disease patients are never cured by treatment, diabetics remain diabetic etc… Indeed, science has yet to solve several health problems, and we have failed in the face of several diseases, especially those tied to immunity, such as vitiligo and lupus, among others.
So far, we have discussed the progress made in medical science, and the shortcomings mentioned above take nothing from the immense achievements made in organ transplant surgery and the treatment of infertility.
In terms of the legal progress that has been made, states have committed to ensuring that healthcare is a right, and this right to healthcare has become a pillar of the welfare state.
However, access to the right to healthcare is currently on the decline. States now play a lesser role in providing social services, as the prevalence of the liberal model prevails, and widespread privatizations of the health sector have made it subject to the demands and dynamics of the market and its unforgiving values. Healthcare is now the privilege of those who can pay for a doctor’s consultation, the cost of medication, and the cost of medical procedures.
This state of affairs has hindered progress in guaranteeing the right to healthcare. In fact, poverty, crises, and unemployment have undermined our ability to ensure everyone has the right to healthcare. Therefore, it is crucial that everyone defends the principle of the welfare states, at least in the fields of education and health, and that this exception should continue if we are to make access to healthcare as broad as possible.
Another issue that is frequently overlooked by healthcare coverage funds worldwide is the variance in the range of drugs and medical interventions covered by these funds from one country to another, despite the similarity of diseases. This is an essential matter that the World Health Organization has yet to address. It is crucial that all diseases, or at the very least a majority of them, are covered by social healthcare programs.
An additional issue that demands attention is how to guarantee access to healthcare for individuals living in poverty or those employed in the informal economy. Addressing this question entails providing healthcare to millions of individuals who lack access to health services. This is a very pressing issue, particularly when considering the alarming number of refugees and impoverished people currently without access to healthcare.
Today, the World Health Organization must emphasize the importance of investing in disease prevention as a cost-effective and develop alternatives to costly medical treatments. Although this may require financial resources, investing in prevention is the most suitable option for both individuals and public health in societies. By prioritizing preventative healthcare, we can preserve the overall immunity and productivity of society. The health of citizens is one of the most vital resources available to nations, and its preservation must remain a top priority.
We strongly believe that countries in the Arab world and other developing nations must prioritize investment in prevention and rely on robust and effective communication strategies. It is crucial to recognize that investing in prevention entails funding health experts, health education, and widespread media coverage of public health concerns.
Although healthcare is a fundamental right, it is not guaranteed to everyone. The solution to this issue is acknowledging each challenge and taking the necessary steps to address them.
