Public Comment to the WHO About Online Access to Imported Medicines and SDG 3.8
One of the Sustainable Development Goals, 3.8, created under UN auspices is: “Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.” Lower-income countries where majorities of citizens can’t afford basic healthcare are deserving of our urgent and generous help, but the pain and anguish faced by American families where people are dying because they can’t afford medicine must also be addressed.
Online access to safe and affordable imported medicine can improve and even saves lives of those who can’t afford medicine where they live. This is particularly the case in the United States, where over 30 million people have no health insurance at all, and approximately 87 million are not adequately insured [Commonwealth Fund, 2019].
Organized under the support of the World Health Organization (WHO), as part of the effort to achieve global healthcare goals, twelve multilateral global health and development organizations are seeking public comments to help them develop their “Global Action Plan for Healthy Lives and Well-being for All.” My comment is below.
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