Health for all: the Church calls for equity and sustainability

The Pontifical Academy for Life brings together international experts to address inequalities in global health systems.

On February 16 and 17, 2026, the Pontifical Academy for Life held its annual Plenary Assembly in the form of an international workshop on the theme “Healthcare for All: Sustainability and Equity” - "Healthcare for All: Sustainability and Equity"Two days of intense work in Rome to address one of the most pressing challenges of our time: ensuring every human being's right to healthcare.

The event began on February 16 with the Papal Audience to the participants, to whom the Holy Father addressed a speech Emphasizing how, in a world marked by conflict and tension, it is necessary to devote time and resources to promoting life and health, combating inequalities, and strengthening a sense of the common good. This call for collective responsibility provided the ethical direction for the entire conference.

Among the most significant reports heard during the workshop, we can mention that of Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, physician and bioethicist at the University of Pennsylvania, who identified the five pillars of an equitable and effective health system:

• Universal coverage, with special attention to children, who should have free access to care
• Economic sustainability, with clear national budgets and reduction of direct costs for patients
• High quality care, prioritizing chronic diseases, maternal and child health, and widespread pathologies such as diabetes and hypertension
• Reducing disparities between urban and rural areas, between rich and poor
• Satisfaction of citizens and health workers

The doctor also underlined how the advent of technologies artificial intelligence, could expand access to care and improve diagnosis and clinical management, especially in underserved areas.

Professor Sheila Tlou, of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance, instead illustrated progress and critical issues in the 54 countries of the African continentThe good news: New HIV infections have decreased by up to 70% in some countries, and nations like Botswana, Rwanda, and Namibia demonstrate that investing in community health workers and free healthcare systems brings concrete results. Botswana, for example, has reduced HIV transmissionmissionand mother-to-child HIV transmission from 29% to less than 1%. However, huge gaps remain between global targets: neonatal mortality is still 63 deaths per 1.000 live births—against a target of 12—and maternal mortality has reached 445 deaths per 100.000 births.

The Workshop was the occasion for the award ceremony “Guardian of Life 2026 " to Msgr. Robert Vitillo, Senior Advisor to the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, acknowledging decades of commitment to providing essential medicines to African children affected by HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis. In his address, Msgr. Vitillo focused on the issue of migrants and refugees: approximately one billion people live outside their country of birth, and over 117 million are forcibly displaced. The right response, he stated, is not to exclude them from healthcare systems, but to integrate them, ensuring continuity of care throughout the migration journey.

Il final message of the workshop is clear: equity and sustainability in health care do not depend only on available resources, but on a stable political will, rooted in communities. As Monsignor Renzo Pegoraro, president of the Academy, emphasized, taking care of everyone's health is a act of civilization has always been concrete answer to the Gospel.

Resources 

• Workshop Abstract with the speakers' biographies and short summaries of their interventions
• Press Conference February 17th presentation of the event by Monsignor Renzo Pegoraro, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life (PAV)
• Workshop and Assembly 2026 – Healthcare for All: Sustainability and Equity from the website of the Pontifical Academy for Life

Images

• Picture of Markus winkler su Unsplash