Countries will have to rebuild their primary care health systems to ensure equitable and affordable access to care and eliminate inequities laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a call to action from the World Health Organization (WHO).
“The pandemic has exposed the fragility of our health systems,” WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus, PhD, MSc, said during a media briefing. “At least half of the world’s population still lacks access to essential health services and out of pocket expenses on health drive almost 100 million people a year into poverty.”