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Investing in Health: Financing Cardiovascular Health for All

WHF Communications department

This statement was submitted in written form under Agenda Item 6(a) – Advancing Health Financing for Stronger Financial Protection in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: Pathways to Equity and Resilience – at the Seventy-Third session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean.

Honourable Chair,

Distinguished Delegates,            

The World Heart Federation commends WHO and Member States for the proposed Framework and fully supports its four strategic directions.

We note with concern that progress towards universal health coverage has been slow and uneven across the region, while financial hardship resulting from out-of-pocket health expenditures – further exacerbated by the rising burden of noncommunicable diseases – remains unacceptably high, with approximately 28% of the region’s population experiencing financial hardship due to out-of-pocket payments in 2022.

To achieve UHC, health systems must be built on a foundation of (1) sustainable financing, (2) strengthened primary health care, (3) a well-trained health workforce, (4) robust cross-sector collaborations, and (5) empowered institutions. In particular, health financing remains a critical enabler of equitable service coverage and financial protection.

We urge Member States to adopt the draft resolution as well as implement the Framework and its priority actions. In particular:

  • Accelerate progress towards UHC through robust and adequately financed PHC-oriented systems that ensure accessibility, affordability, quality, and equity;
  • Expand national UHC benefit packages to provide comprehensive, evidence-based, and cost-effective interventions across the full continuum of cardiovascular care, drawing from Appendix 3 of the WHO Global NCD Action Plan;
  • Raise taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverages to at least 50% to reduce consumption and generate revenues for health; and
  • Develop or strengthen National Cardiovascular Health Plans to secure sustainable funding and expand access across the continuum of cardiovascular care, drawing from WHF’s Framework for a Cardiovascular Health Action Plan.

Thank you.