Regional health leaders agree to improve financing to achieve universal health coverage, prioritize digital health

Health leaders from nations across Asia and the Pacific today endorsed action frameworks on health financing and digital health at the seventy-fifth session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for the Western Pacific.

Health financing to achieve universal health coverage and sustainable development

Despite recent reforms in health financing, public health spending in the Western Pacific Region remains inadequate to meet growing needs. In many countries, current policies have not yet achieved the goals of equitable service access and financial protection. As a result, families are being pushed into poverty from the financial burden of paying for health services. In 2019 alone, more than 300 million people in the Western Pacific faced catastrophic health costs. Medicines and outpatient care are the primary drivers of out-of-pocket spending, exposing critical coverage gaps in primary health care (PHC) systems.

Increasing public health spending, prioritizing PHC and adopting comprehensive financing strategies to promote health in national development are essential to achieving universal health coverage (UHC) and sustainable development.

The Regional Committee, WHO's governing body in the Western Pacific, today endorsed the Regional Action Framework for Health Financing to Achieve Universal Health Coverage and Sustainable Development in the Western Pacific. The Framework aims to improve health financing through five action domains: 1) greater reliance on public funding for health; 2) more equitable and efficient health spending; 3) financing PHC now and into the future; 4) strengthening governance for health financing; and 5) promoting health for all in economic and social policy.

Accelerating digital health transformation

The Regional Committee also considered digital health - the use of information and communications technology to manage health and promote well-being - which is playing an increasingly significant role in transforming health care by leveraging technology to increase access to care. Digital health is growing rapidly in the Western Pacific Region. However, these changes bring about new challenges related to governance, coordination with a wide range of actors, sustainable financing, and the ethical and secure use of digital health tools and data.

The Regional Action Framework on Digital Health in the Western Pacific endorsed by the Region's health leaders today will guide countries and areas in developing national digital health plans. It will also facilitate collaboration with WHO to advance national digital health strategies aligned with country priorities. The Framework calls on countries to prioritize governance, socio-technical infrastructure, financing and economics, digital health solutions, and data in strengthening health systems in the era of digital transformation.

Achieving transformative primary health care

Although more than 45 years have passed since primary health care (PHC) was identified as the cornerstone for achieving Health for All in the Declaration of Alma-Ata, many health systems in our Region remain hospital-centric, while PHC is understaffed and under resourced. With countries facing rapidly ageing populations, an increased burden of NCDs and health security risks, a worsening economic outlook and other changes, transformative PHC is more critical than ever.

In a panel discussion held Tuesday at the Regional Committee, delegates from Cambodia and Singapore and a representative of the Asian Development Bank discussed how a transformative PHC approach - which emphasizes keeping people healthy rather than only treating the sick, and the importance of active community engagement and effective communication - can improve health outcomes.

Recognizing the need to support countries in achieving transformative PHC, the Regional Committee in 2022 endorsed the Regional Framework on the Future of Primary Health Care in the Western Pacific. It highlights five strategic areas for health system transformation, covering models of service delivery, individual and community empowerment, the health workforce, health financing and enabling healthy environments. WHO is supporting countries with implementation of the Regional Framework.

Improving oral health

On Wednesday, delegates from Malaysia, Tonga and Vanuatu participated in a panel discussion on oral health. In the Western Pacific Region, the rate of oral diseases such as tooth decay, gum disease and tooth loss has grown by 30% over the past 30 years. One in five adults over the age of 60 has lost all their teeth, causing difficulty in eating, poor nutrition and a lower quality of life.

Oral diseases disproportionally affect poor and disadvantaged populations. But they are mostly preventable and can be treated in their early stages. Left unaddressed, they cause pain and reduce the quality of life of individuals affected. At the population level, they add to the burden of noncommunicable diseases and impact health systems and economies in the Region.

The WHO Global Strategy and Action Plan on Oral Health (2023-2030) was developed in response to a 2021 World Health Assembly resolution calling for a shift in oral health policy planning from traditional restorative dental care to a focus on promoting oral health and preventing oral diseases. WHO is working to accelerate the implementation of the Global Strategy in the Western Pacific, making oral health an integral part of universal health coverage and improving access to essential oral health services for everyone, especially the vulnerable.

Accreditation of non-State actors to attend Regional Committee meetings

The Regional Committee for the Western Pacific also adopted a decision to formalize the procedure for non-State actors that are not already in official relations with WHO to be accredited as observers at their meetings. The decision highlights the valuable role that non-State actors play in society, recognizes their contributions to advancing public health and to supporting the achievement of WHO's strategic objectives. It marks an important step towards strengthening regional health governance, and a more inclusive approach to knowledge sharing, dialogue and health policy making.

Expected closure of the session, time and place of next year's meeting

The seventy-fifth session of the Regional Committee for the Western Pacific is expected to conclude tomorrow.

Note to editors:

The seventy-fifth session of the Western Pacific Regional Committee began on 21 October and is scheduled to conclude on 25 October at WHO's Regional Office for the Western Pacific in Manila, Philippines. The agenda and timetable are available online. A livestream of proceedings, all other official documents, as well as fact sheets and videos on the issues to be addressed can be accessed here. For real-time updates, follow @WHOWPRO on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube and the hashtag #RCM75.

Working with 194 Member States across six regions, WHO is the United Nations specialized agency responsible for public health. Each WHO region has a regional committee - a governing body composed of ministers of health and senior officials from Member States. Each regional committee meets annually to agree on health actions and to chart priorities for WHO's work.

The WHO Western Pacific Region is home to more than 1.9 billion people across 37 countries and areas: American Samoa (United States of America), Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia (France), Guam (United States of America), Hong Kong SAR (China), Japan, Kiribati, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Macao SAR (China), Malaysia, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Mongolia, Nauru, New Caledonia (France), New Zealand, Niue, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (United States of America), Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Pitcairn Islands (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), the Republic of Korea, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Viet Nam, Wallis and Futuna (France).