The World Bank announced a plan to expand health services to 1.5 billion people

Announced on Thursday in Washington as part of the spring meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the initiative is part of a broader framework of global efforts to guarantee essential care at every stage of life: early childhood, childhood, adolescence and adulthood, according to the financial institution in a press release.

For decades, the World Bank Group has helped strengthen maternal and child health services in more than 100 countries.

“Providing basic care to people is essential to development,” said the World Bank Group president, adding that this ambitious goal cannot be achieved through action alone.

It will be necessary, he said, to work together, between partners, between the public and private sectors, united in order to expand access to health services.

Today, approximately 2 billion people worldwide face serious financial hardship due to out-of-pocket health care costs. The spiral of poverty and inequality is further accentuated by a combination of interconnected challenges, where climate change, pandemics and conflicts are compounded by demographic aging and the prospect of a shortage of health workers (projected at 10 million by 2030).

To achieve results in health, the World Bank Group intends to build partnerships, particularly with non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and civil society.