The Importance of Universal Health Care

The powerful argument made in the Opinion essay by Shinzo Abe and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, titled “All nations should have universal health care” is essentially what you’d expect; more nations should invest in universal health care. The two authors behind this article are major advocates for this topic, as well as important figures in the world of politics. Shinzo Abe is prime minister of Japan and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is the director-general of the World Health Organization The article was published to The Washington Post, which comes with its own credibility for scholarly arguments proposed by credible authors.

In the essay, the authors discuss how Japan subsidized the idea of universal health care following WWII and the benefits that have come from it. Abe specifically mentions the improvement of their life expectancy and the prospering economy of Japan. According to the authors, “Investing in health at an early stage of a country’s economic development can create the fundamental infrastructure for sustainable and comprehensive economic growth and social development” (Abe and Adhanom). It is mentioned that other countries have also tested universal coverage, such as Egypt, South Africa, and the Philippines. The authors continuously stress the importance of health care for all, no matter their financial sittuation. They claim that if we focus on the basic health needs such as nutrition, water, and sanitation, we can reduce the issue on the strenuous expenses for hospital bills and visits.

I believe that the authors do not have a target audience for this article, but they are addressing the world’s population. I cannot help but agree with their stance on the lack of attention regarding human health, especially with the threats that humanity is facing today: climate change, infectious diseases, mass migration and widening economic inequality.