New Delhi - Seeking collaborative efforts to build a fairer and healthier world, the World Health Organization is calling upon countries in South-East Asia Region to prioritize actions to address inequities compounded by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“COVID-19 is just the latest disease to expose, exploit and exacerbate inequities that negatively impact health and socioeconomic outcomes between and among vulnerable groups. Understanding and overcoming the many social and economic determinants of health is becoming critical in our efforts to achieve universal health coverage,” said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia, on the occasion of the World Health Day, which is celebrated on 7 April every year.

The Ministers of Health from countries in the Region and WHO will together commit to ‘building a fairer and healthier world’, the theme of the World Health Day this year, at a high-level virtual event. 

Emphasizing on key measures, the Regional Director said, “We must enhance the collection and use of timely and reliable health data that is disaggregated by gender, age, income, education, migratory status and disability among other factors.”

Once better informed, the governments and the affected communities must work hand in hand to address the root causes of inequities and implement solutions. 

As we tackle the social determinants of health, countries should continue to invest more for strengthening primary health care, she said. 

And importantly, we must act beyond national borders and strengthen regional and global health security, the Regional Director added, emphasizing that addressing health inequities has been at the heart of WHO South-East Asia’s work since 2014 with Universal Health Coverage being a Flagship Priority, one that remained integral to the Region’s response during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Working together to achieve a different and better post-COVID-19 world, we have an unprecedented opportunity to tackle health inequities and ensure health for all through universal health coverage,” the Regional Director said. 

As a new wave of infection is spreading across the Region, together, we must press ahead and strengthen the basic public health measures that we know work, while also accelerating vaccine rollouts, she said.

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