World Health Day: the Role of Remittances in Promoting Health Equity

World Health Day, which is celebrated every year on April 7, marks the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948.  

One of the objectives of the WHO on this date is to highlight key issues to promote global health awareness. The World Health Day 2025 theme is ‘Healthy beginnings, Hopeful futures’, focusing both on maternal and newborn health.  

Global health issues such as this one are interconnected to everyone’s well-being. Raising awareness of these issues helps us break down the barriers that prevent people from getting the healthcare they need and moves us closer to achieving health equity.  

What Is Health Equity?

The goal of health equity is to eliminate health disparities preventing people from accessing medical care. Organizations are striving to attain this objective so that everyone will be able to reach their full potential for health and well-being. 

The world is collectively taking note of this issue, and progress is being made. The United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) were created to promote bold action in order to face the world’s biggest challenges. The third goal listed (SDG 3) aims to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”. One of its targets is to guarantee healthcare access for everyone by 2030. 

Despite all of this, many preventable health inequities still exist today. Eliminating them will require global cooperation, awareness, and action through health campaigns and global health initiatives. 

The Financial Barriers to Health Coverage 

In 2024, 692 million people were living under the poverty line, earning less than US$2,25 a day. While this marks significant progress compared to 1981, when over 2 billion people lived in extreme poverty, the road is still long if we aim to achieve the UN’s SDG 1 — to end poverty in all its forms — by 2030.  

Impoverished groups are usually at a higher risk for health problems due to their precarious living situation and limited resources. Global health statistics indicate that they will commonly battle malnutrition, lack of access to clean water, and inadequate sanitation, among other issues — all major health hazards.

But while they are more vulnerable to diseases and other health problems, they are also least likely to be able to access healthcare.

For many families, much-needed medicine and medical treatments are simply unaffordable. Healthcare will usually be delayed or denied when patients are unable to pay out of pocket. This often leads to poor health outcomes and a shorter life expectancy.

The Role of Remittances in Accessing Healthcare

This is why remittances — the money sent home by migrants — are so important. Just in 2023, migrants sent over $655 billion in remittances to low and middle-income countries, according to the World Bank. This number is expected to keep growing in the years to come.

Remittances can amount to over a quarter of the national GDP in some cases. This means that the citizens of these countries rely heavily on the money sent home by migrants to generate income and spend money on domestic products and services.

It is evident that these funds are a lifeline for millions of families. They help pay for fundamental needs such as food, education, and notably, healthcare. Therefore, remittances are essential to reduce poverty and reach financial independence.

As such, funds sent back home become a preventative healthcare tool. By improving the overall quality of life of households — ensuring sturdier homes, a healthy diet, and a better education, to name a few things — they contribute to reducing the health risks associated with low income. Remittances can also increase access to health information, as migrants will often share new medical knowledge with their loved ones back home.

Even small amounts of money can make a big difference, effectively changing lives and promoting community health. In fact, the UN reports that babies born into families that receive remittances are less likely to die during their first year of life. That’s how powerful this support is.

What We Are Doing at Our Level

At Ria, we understand how critical remittances can be, especially when families are faced with medical emergencies.

That’s why we focus on making our services fast, reliable, and cost-conscious. By expanding into new markets and encouraging healthy competition between money transfer companies, we aim to lower the cost of sending money home and provide a reliable money transfer service wherever it is needed. This backs up one of the key targets of SDG 10: to reduce the transaction costs of remittances and, in doing so, help reduce inequality around the world.

Our goal is to continue improving on our services so our customers can keep supporting their families, no matter where they are.

Promoting Health for All

World Health Day is a reminder that access to healthcare is still a challenge for many. While several barriers remain, progress is possible when we work hand in hand to improve global health coverage.

Remittances play a crucial role in helping families access healthcare and improve their quality of life. At Ria, we’re proud to support this mission by constantly striving to make money transfers more accessible.

Together, we can improve the future of global health!

Need to support your loved ones back home? Send money through our web, app or at your nearest Ria location.