Access to health care globally is a key factor in gaps in life expectancy, the World Health Organisation reported last night.
Currently there is an 18-year gap in life expectancy between the poorest and richest countries, according to a new WHO report, published in advance of World Health Day on Sunday.
Good access to health care substantially cuts the risk of maternal mortality, a key factor in female life expectancy, according to the organisation’s report on world health statistics.
About 2.5% of women in low income countries die from a maternal cause compared with one in 3,300 in wealthy nations.
Men, meanwhile, face a greater risk from preventable and treatable diseases than women and are less likely to use health services.
They are less likely to seek HIV testing or to seek care for TB in places where there is a high risk of infections. A man is 44% more likely to die from a non-communicable disease before the age of 70 than is a woman – measured from their 30th birthdays, the experts say.
Men are also 75% more likely than women to commit suicide and twice as likely to die in road accidents.
World Health Day will focus on primary care as a key factor in improving life prospects, WHO says.
The report finds an improvement of 5.5 years in global life expectancy since the millennium. It is now 72 years.
WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “One of WHO’s triple billion goals is for 1 billion more people to have universal health coverage by 2023.
“This means improving access to services, especially at community level, and making sure those services are accessible, affordable, and effective for everyone – regardless of their gender.”
Assistant director-general Dr Samira Asma said: “These statistics underscore the need to prioritize primary health care urgently to effectively manage noncommunicable diseases, and to curb risk factors.
“For example, something as simple as controlling blood pressure is just not happening on the scale needed and tobacco use remains a leading cause of premature death.”
Leave a Reply