Global News Network Liberia: A path toward wealth and security: Investing in the health of Africa’s people
Jim Yong Kim, president of the World Bank Group

“…[U]niversal coverage of essential services requires a fundamental shift in the way health care is financed. [Universal health coverage (UHC)] means changing from a pay-as-you-go system … to pre-paying for health, which promotes prompt access when people are ill, and protects the poor. We need to put money directly in the hands of poor women, through cash transfer programs that offer universal health, education, and nutrition entitlements to these women and their children, and are strongly associated with inclusive growth. Donor assistance needs to more effectively support UHC expansion in countries. … We must continue to invest in what works — such as the scale-up of bed nets to protect people from malaria, the use of drones to deliver life-saving medical supplies to remote villages, and the deployment of thousands of new community health workers across Africa. We can harness this potential more systematically and ultimately create more jobs while delivering better health outcomes. With the right investments, we can save the lives of millions of people, help people lift themselves out of extreme poverty, and ensure that all people are healthier and live longer and more productive lives…” (8/26).