Health cooperatives are business structures that facilitate access to healthcare to nearly 100 million households across the world. They were recognised as such by the members of the B20 health group, who recently met in Berlin to analyse the healthcare problems currently present in modern society. The Espriu Foundation, one of the world’s largest health cooperatives, attended the meeting in which it was made apparent that companies from the sector play an essential role in ensuring that healthcare systems contribute to economic growth. It was the first time that public health problems were addressed at the G20 summit.
Carlos Zarco, director of the Espriu Foundation, stressed that the B20 Health Initiative aims to see political leaders support cooperatives as a sustainable healthcare business model with a social vocation. In this regard, he reported that healthcare spending is likely to continue growing faster than GDP, which will pose a “challenge” for many governments.
The group in which the Espriu Foundation participated indicated that G20 members should adopt policies which ensure that research and development are “adequately” recognised. They also stated that access to healthcare must be improved through a “pro-innovation ecosystem” that prioritises self-care and the empowerment of individuals.
In this regard, they also proposed improving healthcare policies in order to encourage private sector participation and empower citizens through self-care and health literacy.
In addition, members of the health group developed recommendations related to antibiotic resistance, pandemic preparedness, the fight against neglected tropical diseases and digital health.