Investment in global health would give economic gains

Published: 9-Feb-2002


A drastic scaling up of health investment would not only save millions of lives, but also produce enormous economic gains, according to macroeconomics report presented to the World Health Organisation (WHO). A group of leading economists and health experts claims that by 2015-2020, increased health investment of US$66bn (€74.9bn) per year above current spending would generate at least US$360bn (€408.5bn) annually.

About half of this will be as a result of direct economic benefits – the world's poorest will live longer, have more days of good health and, as a result, will be able to earn more. The other half will be as a consequence of the indirect economic benefits from this greater individual productivity.

However, the report says that this will not be achieved without dramatic increases in resources for health over the next few years.

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