“Health
is not a consumer good but a universal right, so access to health services
cannot be a privilege. Health care, especially at the most basic level, is
indeed denied in many parts of the world and many regions of Africa. It is not
a right for all, but rather still a privilege for a few, for those who can afford it.”– Pope Francis, Paul VI Audience Hall, May 27, 2016
(By: Jane Deren, Ph.D.) The United Nations Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs), launched in 2000, were instru- mental in achieving world-wide progress
toward improving global health and eliminating pov- erty. The UN set specific
goals to be reached by 2015, and inviting state and non-governmental
organizations from around the world to work with them. With impact of so many
organiza- tions working toward these shared goals, significant strides were
made in the last 15 years in increasing life expectancy and reducing some of
the common killers associated with child and maternal mortality. Major progress
has been made on increasing access to clean water and sanitation, reducing
tuberculosis (the TB mortality rate fell by 45 per cent and the TB preva- lence
rate by 41 per cent between 1990 and 2013), malaria, polio and the spread of
HIV/AIDS. However, even with such progress, more efforts are needed to fully
eradicate a wide range of diseases and to address persistent as well as
emerging health issues.
Last
year the latest United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were
developed with targets to be reached by 2030. Nation states such as Uganda,
international institutions such as the World Health Organization, and
non-governmental organizations such as Catholic Relief Service, Caritas, and
many others are taking on the challenge of designing programs to meet the
target goals.
Targets of the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goal on Health
The United Nations has developed a
comprehensive list of specific targets to be met in 2030 to improve global
health, especially for women and girls. Groups and organizations are joining
with nation states around the world in the effort to achieve the following
goals:
Reduce the global maternal mortality
ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births.
End preventable deaths of newborns and
children under 5 years of age.
End the epidemic of AIDS and ensure
girls and women are protected from sexual violence that spreads this disease.
End the epidemics of tuberculosis,
malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne
diseases and other communicable diseases
Reduce by one third premature mortality
from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote
mental health and well-being.
Strengthen the prevention and treatment
of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol;
promote tobacco control.
Achieve universal health coverage,
access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective,
and affordable essential medicines and vaccines.
Reduce substantially the number of
deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution
and contamination.
Support the research and development of
vaccines and medicines for the communicable and non-communicable diseases that
primarily affect developing countries, provide access to af- fordable essential
medicines and vaccines.
Increase health financing and the
recruitment, development, training and retention of the health workforce in
developing countries.
Strengthen the capacity of all
countries, in particular developing countries, to recognize early warning
signs, risk reduction, and management of national and global health risks.
Understanding these health targets and
supporting the governmental and non-governmental agen- cies and organizations
that are working on them is our challenge, so we may not have to answer the
question asked in Matthew 25: “Lord, when were you sick and we did not care for
you?”
We understand that when we are concerned with the health of the “least of these” we are affirmed in our discipleship.
We understand that when we are concerned with the health of the “least of these” we are affirmed in our discipleship.
Which of the targets would you make a priority?
Which do you think will be the most chal- lenging to reach?
Become engaged in U.S. health care advocacy by visiting NETWORK’s Issues on Health- care: http://bit.ly/2dvO9e1.
Copyright © 2016, Education
for Justice, a project of Center of Concern.
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