World Bank aims to expand health services to 1.5 billion people by 2030

Washington: The World Bank Group has announced an ambitious plan to support countries in delivering quality, affordable health services to 1.5 billion people by 2030.

The strategy to reach 1.5 billion people is focused on three core elements: Expanding focus from maternal and child health to include coverage throughout a person's lifetime, including non-communicable diseases.

The other two are expanding operations to hard-to-reach areas, including remote villages, cities, and countries; and working with governments to cut unnecessary fees and other financial barriers to health care.

"Providing a basic standard of care for people throughout their lives is critical for development," said Ajay Banga, World Bank Group President.

"This ambition won't be realized with a solo effort. It will require partners, a coalition of public and private sector, working together to expand access to health care services," Banga said.

Today, around 2 billion people face severe financial hardship when paying for health services.

Intertwined challenges, such as climate change, pandemics, conflicts, societal aging, and a projected shortfall of 10 million health-care workers by 2030, exacerbate the cycle of poverty and inequality, World Bank said.

The World Bank Group said it will combine financing, knowledge, and partnerships to address this challenge.

The goal to deliver quality, affordable health services to 1.5 billion people by 2030 is one of the more recent examples of the World Bank Group's commitment to become more impact-oriented and is the byproduct of a concerted effort to build a better bank.