Achieving Health Equity on a Global Scale through a Community-Based, Public Health Framework for Action

Abstract

As a worldwide economic crisis emerged at the end of 2008, international health agencies were quick to highlight its predictable impact on health in the poorest of communities. The World Health Organization (WHO) underscored the need for a multisectoral approach to the crisis, “seeking health gains through demonstrating the importance of health in all policies” and whether current investments in health addressed the broader social determinants of health. However, despite good intentions and decades of discussion addressing the need for transformative changes globally to reduce poverty and improve health equity, little progress has been made.A recent report on progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) indicates that many targeted goals have not been met, with some goals lagging many years behind schedule (“Four years after the target date, gender parity in education has yet to be achieved”). Although progress towards achieving the MDGs has been made for some specific conditions (e.g., malaria), where targeted interventions have had an immediate impact, limited progress is reported in more complex areas such as maternal child health. Such complex health issues require structural changes, strong political will, long-term funding, and consideration of other health determinants, such as education and exposure to environmental hazards.