Oxfam reaction: WHO Health Report 2010 - A wake-up call for all
governments The World Health Organization’s World Health Report
2010, launched in Berlin today, reveals that out-of-pocket
payments are by far the greatest obstacle to achieving universal
health care. But the good news is that all countries - no matter
how poor - can take immediate steps to increase investments in
health and make health care free and accessible to all their
citizens. The WHO report says: - Millions of poor people miss
out on health care altogether because they can’t afford to pay
for it. - Each year, 100 million people are pushed into poverty
because they have to pay directly for health services, and are
too ill to work. - 3 million additional lives could be saved
before 2015 if all donors met their aid promises to poor
countries. But half of all OECD donor countries are off track on
meeting their aid targets. Oxfam spokesperson Anna Marriott
said: “It’s appalling that hundreds of millions are denied life
saving health care becau