WHO lists reasons why Health is not yet accessible to everyone
World Health Day is celebrated next Sunday (April 7), which this year is celebrated based on the theme “My health, my right”, according to information from the World Health Organization (WHO).
Despite being considered a human right, Health continues to be, for many, difficult to access – if it weren’t for WHO data indicating that, in 2021, around 4.5 billion people did not have access to basic health care . “The health of millions of people around the world is under increasing threat, with diseases, disasters and conflicts devastating communities and denying the right to health”, highlights the National Health Service (SNS) on the official website when citing the organization global.
The escalation of global conflicts, the increase in fossil fuel prices and climate change are three measures listed to call for “ensuring that everyone has access to quality services, education and health information, in addition to drinking water, air cleanliness, adequate nutrition, decent housing and healthy working and environmental conditions”.
Number of beds and births in the SNS decreased
The data on the number of beds in the SNS and the births carried out by this service, collected by Pordata, in partnership with the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation, allow us to understand the changes suffered compared to the years 1994 and 1985, respectively – years in which the first data were collected.
The number of beds for hospital admissions in general hospitals and specialized hospitals is not encouraging. In 2022, and at the level of general hospitals, Portugal had approximately 20,346 beds, a number that decreased compared to 1994 – when there were 22,082. In specialized hospitals, the trend continued, but was more pronounced, as in 2022, there were 1829 beds (approximately), and, in 1994, 5280.
Another data is also the number of births carried out by SNS professionals, an indicator that is compared to 1985, when there were almost 99 thousand births (98.8 thousand) but in 2022 the number was once again lower, remaining at around 64 thousand (64.5 thousand).
