Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi yesterday called on G20 member states to “prioritise public health over competing interests”, with the goal of accelerating progress towards universal health coverage.
Addressing the second meeting of the G20 Health Working Group Motsoaledi noted a “concerning trend” of declining global health budgets coupled with rising costs, adding that “ambitions are threatened by harsh realities of economic constraints”.
Motsoaledi made no references, however, to the recent abrupt cuts in US foreign aid spending for health programmes in South Africa.
With the deadline for the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development looming, he added that there was limited time to achieve Sustainable Development Goals, including those related to ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all.
“The recent WHO data suggest that the number of people protected from catastrophic health spending increased steadily before the Covid-19 pandemic, but since then this has been reduced by an estimated 100m people (who have fallen) back into financial hardships due to health expenses,” he said.
Daily Maverick reports that the meeting was the second time the G20 Health Working Group has convened since South Africa’s G20 presidency activities kicked off, with the first meeting held in late January.
The group’s mandate is to improve global health by addressing health challenges, building resilient systems and promoting equitable access to services.
Reversing troubling trends
Motsoaledi said the cornerstone of UHC was a strong primary healthcare system, since it is at this level that prevention meets early intervention, communities are empowered, and the social determinants of health are addressed.
“We must invest in accessible, affordable and comprehensive primary healthcare for all,” he said, “but our ambitions are threatened by harsh realities of global economic constraints… particularly in the Global South, where many nations are burdened by unsustainable debt servicing. These debt repayments are effectively cannibalising vital health budgets, leaving millions without access to essential health services.
“We must acknowledge that spending on health is not a cost, but an investment.”
Motsoaledi laid out various steps for improving health outcomes, including:
• Increasing domestic resource mobilisation by advocating for greater allocations of national budgets to health;
• Debt relief and restructuring;
• Strengthening global health partnerships and exploring innovative financing mechanisms to bridge the funding gap; and
• Increasing efficiency and transparency regarding health spending.
National Health Insurance
He told dignitaries that South Africa was “actively pursuing a transformative strategy” to achieve universal health coverage through its National Health Insurance (NHI) system, and spoke about the importance of tackling the growing burden of non-communicable diseases, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
He urged all G20 countries to “champion” increased financing of health systems.
“By sharing best practices, advocating for policy changes and committing to concrete actions on issues like regulating unhealthy food marketing and promoting healthy lifestyle, the G20 can play a pivotal role in shaping a robust global response to non-communicable diseases… We must move beyond dialogue and commit to concrete steps,” he said.
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