G20 Radio Bulletin 31 - Investment in health must be constant, defends Tedros Adhanom

WHO Director-General emphasizes the necessity of continuous investment in health and the importance of guaranteeing sustainable financing for the sector. He praised the Brazilian presidency of the forum for putting health as a priority on the global agenda. Listen and find out more!

In an exclusive interview for the G20 website, Tedros Adhanom, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), defended that investment in health must be constant.

Tedros Adhanom: We always say that health is fundamental, but in terms of financing, health is not properly financed. “You see investments in health when there is a problem. When the COVID-19 pandemic was on the rise, many countries panicked and invested a lot of money. Once the situation started to get under control, investment in health was relocated to other sectors. Investment in health must be constant. And we need to look for sustainable financing.

Regarding the priorities of the Brazilian presidency of the forum to advance the debates on the elaboration of a mechanism that will allow countries to exchange debt payments for investment in health outcomes, Adhanom emphasized that the proposal is innovative and important for improving global health financing.

Tedros Adhanom: The WHO is fully supportive. We hope that the G20 countries agree, and not only the G20, but countries even outside the G20 agree, and that we move forward.

Adhanom recognizes the Brazilian G20 presidency's commitment to putting health at the center of the forum's agenda and hopes that, in addition to the investment round proposal, the forum will be able to advance consensus on pandemic preparation and response, stimulating local production of inputs and medications, equity in access to health, the promotion of digital health and the relations between climate change and health.

This is Enrique Villamil reporting from the G20 newsroom, in Brasilia