Pallium India is organising a four km ‘walkathon’ from Kowdiar junction to LMS and back on Sunday on the occasion of International Universal Health Coverage day (December 12), to draw attention to the need for comprehensive UHC to alleviate the suffering of millions in the country.
Former judge M. R. Hariharan Nair will flag the event off at 7 am from Kowdiar.
WHO envisages Universal Health Coverage as ensuring that “all people have access to the health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship. It includes the full range of essential health services, from health promotion to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care.”
“Some 10 million Indians live with serious health-related suffering, mostly related to chronic and progressive diseases like cancer or Alzheimer’s disease. Yet, when the focus of medicine continues to be on curative care alone, the person or his suffering remains outside the realm of medicine. The rehabilitative and palliative part of medicine, which is all about alleviating the suffering of the sick continues to receive little or no attention even in the public sector,” points out M.R. Rajagopal, chairman, Pallium India.
The theme of this year’s UHC Day is “Build the World We want: A Healthy Future for All”.
“In the world we want, all people can access quality health services without financial hardship. Universal health coverage lifts people out of poverty, promotes the well-being of families and communities, protects against public health crises, and moves us toward the goal of Health For All”.
“Catastrophic health expenditure is impoverishing thousands of families on one side, while on the other, by prolonging the life of people through experimental medication with little or no incremental advantage, we may be enhancing their suffering. On December 12, we want to remind Governments that alleviating health-related suffering of people should be a priority for health systems but this is something that can be achieved only if there is sufficient popular interest and demand for UHC,” Dr. Rajagopal said.