Vatican City, 07 October, 2020 / 10:00 am (ACI Africa).
Healthcare must be made more accessible to the poor in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, Pope Francis said Wednesday.
The pope proposed Oct. 7 that when a COVID-19 vaccine is developed it should be administered to people regardless of income.
“Healthcare systems ... need to become much more inclusive and accessible to the disadvantaged and those living in low-income countries,” he wrote, in a message to members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences attending a three-day plenary meeting at the Vatican.
“If anyone should be given preference, let it be the neediest and most vulnerable among us. Similarly, when vaccines become available, equitable access to them must be ensured regardless of income, always starting with the least.”
He added that international bodies such as the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and the Food and Agriculture Organization should be “respected and supported” as they work for “the sake of the universal common good.”