Taking Action and Changing today’s paradigm in this historical debate of Health Expenditure vs Health Investment is what this parallel session will open for discussion. Urgent Action is needed and requested by WHO to invest in Universal Health Coverage. Health systems are under financial pressure reflecting a challenging economic environment, with competing priorities pressing the public funds available for health. In 2019, prior to the pandemic, OECD countries spent on average 8.8% of GDP on healthcare, a figure relatively unchanged since 2013. By 2021, this proportion jumped to 9.7% yet standing in 2022 at 9.2%.
Additionally core population health indicators show that societies have not yet fully recovered from the pandemic, with many people still struggling mentally and physically. Life expectancy fell by 0.7 years on average across OECD countries between 2019 and 2021. Unhealthy lifestyles and poor environments cause millions of people to die prematurely. Smoking, harmful alcohol use, physical inactivity and obesity are the root cause of many chronic conditions. Making critical the reshaping of Health Expenditure into Long-term Health Investment Planning.
In this parallel session we shall question the route of financing Health and how to re-direct annual budgeted expenditure into effective long-term preventive Health programs that in true nature will create a structural Health Investment planning framework. Long-term Health Investment is at the heart of creating and delivering the desired Universal Health Coverage that we all aspire.
June 1st | 14h30-16h00 | Coordinator: Catarina Castro