On April 7th every year, the world observes World Health Day. This day celebrates the unparalleled value of good health and allows us to think about how we can accelerate access to quality Health for All.
This year is special. In 2023, the World Health Organization celebrates its 75th anniversary. This opportunity allows us to look back at the public health successes that have improved the length and quality of life for people around the globe. It’s also an opportunity to consider how we can improve health systems to be responsive to ongoing changes, including health emergencies, epidemics, and population ageing.
Population ageing is a particularly pressing issue. Progressing at a rapid pace worldwide, population ageing affects every country and has profound implications for the progressive achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Research is key to understanding the range of challenges of progressing towards UHC while countries undergo rapid population ageing.
To accelerate progress towards UHC, the WHO Centre for Health Development (WHO Kobe Centre) developed a simulator to estimate the impact of specific policy options to address the gap between health expenditures and health revenues as populations age. We worked with the local government in Kobe City to study how to improve health systems to manage dementia patients, and these lessons learned are important for other countries facing similar challenges.
We supported research in the Asia Pacific region and recently published a special journal supplement with ten studies about health systems responses to population ageing. Later this year, we’ll be launching a global research consortium for measuring unmet health and social care needs of older people.
We also act as WHO Secretariat for the WHO Thematic Platform for Health EDRM Research Network of over 200 experts, focusing on strengthening health systems in the context of health emergency preparedness.
WKC supports the acceleration of UHC by conducting research and synthesizing evidence about health systems and health emergencies, in light of population ageing. We are committed to carrying out research to inform policy with the support of our donor, the Kobe Group and our research partners.
As we celebrate the achievements that WHO has made over the last 75 years, we hope that our research continues to inform policies that accelerate UHC.