Did you know- globally, more than 1 billion people lack access to healthcare? Chances are, you are not part of the 1 billion. You most likely live in a place with adequate access to:
- Vaccines to fully immunize our children
- Highly skilled doctors, nurses and other specialized healthcare providers
- Modern, safe, and adequately staffed healthcare facilities- hospitals, clinics, pharmacies
- Essential medicines and reproductive health products
As global health advocates, we know how very different the reality is in the low- and middle income countries in which we work, especially at the last mile, often the most rural and hard to reach communities where access is a fundamental barrier to improving health outcomes.
In these communities, there are often no doctors, vaccines and essential medicines are frequently out of stock or simply not available, healthcare facilities are widely dispersed (inaccessible) and rudimentary at best, and healthcare workers struggle to meet the daily demands placed on them. This is the reality of the 1 billion.
As we join our families this coming Thanksgiving Day, let’s give thanks for access to quality healthcare and celebrate those on the frontlines of healthcare, working together with us to change the inequities of healthcare around the world – starting at the last mile.
#thanks4healthcare