Ineffective health care is a global phenomenon which increases the burden of illness and wastes scarce resources, UN experts said.
In a new report on the subject, the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners cited problems with delivering quality health care across all Member States.
The finding is important because, although nations have committed to providing universal health coverage by 2030, the outcome “would still be poor” without the delivery of effective care, WHO says.
“Inaccurate diagnosis, medication errors, inappropriate or unnecessary treatment, inadequate or unsafe clinical facilities or practices — or providers who lack adequate training and expertise — prevail in all countries,” the agency said in a statement.
The challenge is greatest in low- and middle-income countries, where 10 percent of hospital patients acquire an infection during the course of their stay, compared to 7 percent elsewhere.
In some poorer nations, moreover, clinical guidelines are followed in less than 50 percent of cases, resulting in “low-quality antenatal and childcare”, as well as “deficient” family planning, according to the report by WHO, the World Bank and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
The inadequate clinical practice was also “common” in private and public clinics in several low- and middle-income countries, the study found, with some demonstrating diagnostic accuracy as low as 34 percent.
Ensuring quality health care for everyone is essential, it says, primarily because it prevents suffering, but also since it helps to boost economic productivity.
Furthermore, failing to treat sick people results in increased financial pressure on families and health systems which amounts to trillions of dollars each year, the report notes.
Underscoring the fact that the problem crosses all economic boundaries, the report found that richer countries had problems too, with breast-screening rates as low as 19 percent and influenza vaccination rates below 30 percent, in 35 nations.
Findings from high-income countries also indicated that 1 in 10 patients is harmed during medical treatment and that around 15 percent of hospital expenditure can be put down to mistakes in care or having to treat a patient infection.
Finally, noting that technological innovation already “plays a key role” in offering ways to expand high-quality health-care services rapidly and affordable, the report also finds that “many” low- and middle-income countries have developed successful strategies to improve the quality of health coverage, but all that is missing is a global platform to share this knowledge.
Original source: UN News
Published on 5 July 2018
