Addressing the 77th World Health Assembly, a leading Vatican diplomat emphasized that “health is not a consumer good, but rather a universal right, and therefore access to healthcare services cannot be a privilege.”
Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva, said that “it is not merely a question of helping others, it is a matter of justice. With regard to health, this requires the realization of a culture of care, based on the recognition of the sacredness of life and of the inalienable dignity of each and every human person, and where the priority is always to save lives.”
“Providing nearly 25% of the world’s healthcare and as much as 40-70% in some of the poorest parts of the world, the Catholic Church remains committed to making ‘health for all’ a reality,” he added. “The Holy See urges states to work together to make this aspiration a concrete reality for all.”