The Director of the Espriu Foundation and President of the International Health Co-operative Organisation (IHCO), Carlos Zarco, has advocated the contribution by health cooperatives to world health as a tool for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the World Health Organization (WHO). He explained this during the Consultation session with International Organisations held at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, coinciding with the Executive Board of the world organisation, which will be extended until 27 January.
Zarco explained that objective 3 of the 2030 Agenda, in point of fact, focuses on health and welfare. The primary goal is to achieve universal health cover that includes access to quality services, medication and vaccines that are affordable for everyone. Furthermore, reducing infant mortality and maternal deaths and bringing an end to all preventable deaths by 2030 are also being considered.
In this regard, he said that cooperatives are the best means of achieving this, since they are companies that increase access to health services, motivated by social values rather than purely financial gain. “Cooperatives share internationally agreed principles and work to build a better world through cooperation”, stated the doctor.
Likewise, he underlined that cooperatives exhibit a “particularly innovative capability” when faced with changing social needs. In fact, he stated that growth of this business model has been “a clear response” to the increase in demand for health services and the mounting difficulties faced by public authorities where health expenditure is concerned. They are ultimately a model that provides an answer to the new challenges posed in public systems.