Half of the world’s rural population has no healthcare access: ILO

A recent ILO report  has revealed that more than half of the world’s rural population (56 per cent) does not have access to healthcare facilities compared with 22 per cent of the urban population, which found the most extreme disparities in the Asia-Pacific region, which includes India.

The stark neglect of the healthcare needs of the rural population, especially in developing countries, is also evident by the fact that only 23 per cent of health workers are deployed in these areas, where over 50 per cent of the world’s population lives, says the report “Global Evidence on Inequities in Rural Health Protection: New Data on Rural Deficits in Health Coverage for 174 Countries.”

Pointing out the sharp rural-urban disparity in healthcare as one of the key reasons for the rural population being unable to contribute to urgently needed economic growth, wealth and development, the report called for universal social protection through national health services and national and social health insurance schemes.