For the first time, spending by countries on essential medicines has been quantified and the results show that a wide gulf exists between the poorest and richest nations. And the findings underscore an “urgent need” for added financing to meet basic health needs, according to a new report, which also recommends several steps to close the global spending gap on treatments.
The analysis by The Lancet Commission on Essential Medicines found that the cost of providing a basket of 201 essential medicines to all people in low- and middle-income countries could be as little as $1 to $2 per person per month, or $13 to $25 per person annually. Yet one in five countries worldwide spend less on each person each year, underlying “massive inequities.”
