Asia’s Health Care Is in Need of Overhaul — WHO

TOKYO — The World Health Organization (WHO) today called for a major overhaul of the way patients are treated in Asia’s health facilities, saying medical care has become depersonalized and out of touch with the public’s rights and needs.

Despite all the advances in medical science and technology in recent decades, many people are still not satisfied with the quality of care they receive, said Dr Shigeru Omi, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific and one of the driving forces behind the call for change. “Health care continues to fall short of people’s expectations. There is growing concern about quality, access and responsiveness, as well as about safety.”

One of the problems, he said, is that the approach to healing has become too narrow, with the patient viewed as little more than a set of symptoms. This fails to take into account the fact that body and mind are linked, and that psychosomatic and social factors also affect health. What is needed, Dr Omi said, is a new approach where the many hidden factors associated with illness and hospitalization, such as anxiety, loneliness and cultural and social alienation, are also taken care of in a multidisciplinary manner. This care should be delivered in a spirit of partnership, where the dignity of the patient is fully respected and where individuals, families and communities are also part of a dialogue that responds to health needs in humane and holistic ways.

“Knowledge and technology are our great allies,” Dr Omi said, “but we must use them judiciously and holistically, within a people-friendly system that views members of the public as full and equal partners in preventing disease and enhancing health and well-being.”

Dr Omi acknowledged that the transition to a new approach would be neither quick nor easy, but he argued that much of Asia, as home to some of the world’s fastest-growing economies, was ready for the challenge. But the change would not necessarily be limited to the stronger economies. “What we are proposing is relevant to all forms of health systems at all stages of their development,” he said.

The costs would not be great, Dr Omi said. “We are talking mainly about inexpensive, strategic adjustments in the work environment, plus some retraining of healthcare staff and auxiliaries.” Dr Omi said the new approach would not divert resources away from the numerous health problems still facing Asia. “We will continue to tackle them with all our energy,” he said.

Dr Omi’s appeal was issued in a statement to mark an international symposium in Tokyo titled “People-centred Health Care: Reorienting Health Systems in the 21st Century”. Attended by some of the world’s most eminent experts on healthcare reform, the 25 November gathering was preceded by a national conference of the Japanese Society for Quality and Safety in Health Care. The three days of discussions were expected to produce a declaration that will act as a blueprint for people-centred care in Asia and the Pacific. The people-centred health care initiative is a joint project by WHO’s Western Pacific Region and South-East Asia Region.