As the World Health Organization (WHO) marks this year’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day, it highlights the devastating human cost of unaffordable healthcare. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom underscored the urgency of addressing healthcare costs by sharing a deeply personal account from his past. He recounted the story of a close friend who chose to accept death rather than burden his family with the overwhelming financial costs of medical treatment. His friend believed that dying would spare his loved ones from lifelong debt and give them a chance at a future free from financial hardship. Dr. Tedros stressed, “No one should ever be forced to make such a choice.”
In his statement, he noted that 4.6 billion people worldwide lack access to essential health services, while 2.1 billion suffer financial distress simply to pay for medical care of then at the expense of food, education and housing. He added that WHO is working closely with countries to close these gaps as they move toward full universal health coverage, emphasizing that “health should not be a luxury reserved for those who can afford it, but a fundamental right for everyone.”
This year’s UHC Day, celebrated on 12 December 2025, carried the theme “Unaffordable health costs? We’re sick of it!” The organization calls for urgent action to implement financial protection measures and eliminate out-of-pocket health costs for those most in need–including people with low incomes or chronic conditions.
