Dhaka: With nearly 400 million people still not having access to essential health services globally, WHO has called on countries in South-East Asia region to focus efforts on providing affordable and quality health services to all who need them.

‘Health is critical to development. Access to safe, affordable and good quality health services enables people to be more productive and active contributors to their families, communities and nations,’ Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director of WHO South-East Asia Region, said at the WHO Regional Committee meeting in Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste.

Making effective healthcare services accessible to people, wherever they live, and whether they are rich or poor, is a must. It makes commitments to a fairer society real, and will facilitate sustainable development, she said.

Universal health coverage (UHC) figured prominently at the five-day regional committee meeting between 7 - 11 September, attended by Health Ministers and high-level ministerial delegations of all 11 countries of WHO South-East Asia Region, said a WHO press release on Friday.

WHO emphasised that action for UHC needs to take into account the changing health needs. With the increase in non-communicable diseases and the rise in numbers of the elderly, often with multiple health conditions, a new thinking is needed on ways to deliver health services.

‘We need to learn more about new service delivery models that aim to give people access to the care they need, when they need it, without suffering financial hardship. The question is how well they are working,’ said Dr Khetrapal Singh.

Governments need to invest more into strengthening their health workforce which is a key to expanding quality health services. Also improved delivery of services needs to happen in parallel with improved financing if real progress on UHC is to be made, Dr Khetrapal said.