The World Health Organization ‘examined primary health care systems around the world, and uncovered huge inequalities and inefficiencies,’ the BBC reported on Tuesday.

According to the report, ’shortcomings have left the health status of different populations, both within and between countries, “dangerously out of balance”.’

It calls ‘for action to bolster primary care and tackle unfairness.’

WHO director-general, Margaret Chan ‘warned that doing nothing was not an option – and said focusing on primary care was the best way to affect significant change.’

She said: “A world that is greatly out of balance in matters of health is neither stable nor secure.”

Some disturbing facts:

1. For instance, of the estimated 136 million women who will give birth this year, around 58 million will receive no medical assistance during and after childbirth – potentially putting their lives at risk.
2. Globally, annual government expenditure on health varies from as little as $20 per person to well over $6,000.
3. For 5.6 billion people in low and middle-income countries, more than half of all health care expenditure is through out-of-pocket payments, pushing many people below the poverty line.
4. The report finds that huge differences occur within countries – and sometimes within individual cities. In Nairobi, for example, the under-five mortality rate is below 15 per 1,000 in the high-income area. In a slum in the same city, the rate is 254 per 1,000.

The report went on to estimate that ‘better use of existing preventive measures could reduce the global burden of disease by as much as 70%.’

Although some of the facts mentioned in the report are shocking, one has to wonder what it is the WHO wants the ‘international community’ to do. Is it expected of the West to join forces with developing countries and to provide health care for their citizens? If so, where does the WHO get the idea from that the West will be able to unite when it comes to providing health care to citizens in third world countries, where quite some countries cannot even agree on how to solve their own health care problems? Lets also not forget that countries in which virtually everyone does have an insurance and where every citizen does receive health care when needed, the establishment and voters are not united about what course should be pursued. Some believe more government influence is necessary (socialists and laborites), others believe the private sector should play a bigger role (European liberals and conservatives).

These reports are often shocking, but it’s unclear what the United Nations, WTO, WHO, WMF, etc. want people to do about all the problems in the world.