Millennium Development Goals: how public health professionals perceive the achievement of MDGs

Abstract

BackgroundThere have been various consultations on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by different groups. However, even if it is clear that the health sector has led the development success of the MDGs, only a few MDG reports consider public health experts’ points of view and these are mainly government driven.DesignsThe World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) has executed a global survey to consult public health professionals worldwide concerning the implementation and achievements of the MDGs.The survey was conceived by WFPHA health professionals and promulgated online. Public health professionals and organisations dealing with MDGs responded to the survey. Content analysis was conducted to analyse the data.ResultsSurvey participants attributed the highest importance worldwide to MDGs dealing with women, poverty and hunger reduction, and disease prevention and management. Moreover, they underlined the role of education, referring both to school children and professionals. In high and upper-middle income countries, environmental challenges also received considerable attention.Notably, respondents underlined that weak governance and unstable political situations, as well as the gap between professionals and politicians, were among the main causes that detracted from MDG achievements.ConclusionThe public health workforce felt it would be imperative to be included from the outset in the design and implementation of further goals. This implies that those professionals have to take an active part in the political process leading to a new and accountable framework.

Lessons on the Right to Health Litigation and MDGS for Implementing Health Related SDGS in South Africa

“…The foregoing decisions show that litigation can impact the policy environment of SDGs in South Africa, a conclusion which agrees with the viewpoint of authors including Mubangizi and Twinomugisha (2010), and Ruger (2006) that human rights actions can aid service delivery and serve as a catalyst of policy change (Lomazzi et al, 2014;Lomazzi et al, 2012).…”

“…In particular, as Unterhalter (2013) and Hulme (2009) observe, the implementation of MDGs at the national level focused on operational and programmatic goals, rather than building on mechanisms of accountability, internationally recognized human rights standards and principles to which governments are obliged to adhere. Yet, the United Nations Committee for Development Policy (UN CDP, 2015), Lomazzi et al (2012) and Lomazzi et al (2014) find that the policy environment of MDGs at the national level can benefit from accountability through human rights actions in courts. While this development offers hope that state officials and policy implementers can be engaged in a manner that ensures human rights, in particular, the right to health, it is not clear what the direction will be as South Africa prepares for the implementation of SDGs.…”

“…It is incompatible with the commitment of South Africa's government to obligations on the right to health under international human rights instruments which it has ratified including the ICESCR, CRC, CEDAW and the African Charter. It runs against the viewpoint of authors including Mubangizi and Twinomugisha (2010) and Ruger (2006) that human rights actions can aid service delivery and serve as a catalyst of policy change (Lomazzi et al, 2014;Lomazzi et al, 2012).…”

How Should Public Health Schools Help Meet Millennium Development Goals in Latin America?

“…However, public health professionals were not heavily involved in the creation of the MDGs, 5 and the role of public health institutions and schools in actually meeting the MDGs has not been well defined. 5 The First International Conference on Sustainable Health Development, held at Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2016, found a "great need of reconsidering the role of academic public health institutes in the context of low-middle income countries to respond to the emerging challenges of public health." 6 Public health schools have a large role to play in meeting MDGs, and many are helping LMICs improve their responses to extreme hunger, maternal health, childhood mortality, and infectious diseases.…”

Assessing the Right to Health in the Sixth Millennium Development Goal in the Eastern Caribbean

“…Health professionals have also been recognized for collaborating with duty bearers in fulfilling the right to health and meeting their commitments to the Millennium Development Goals (Asher, Hamm, & Sheather, ; Hunt, ; Lomazzi, Laaser, Theisling, Tapia, & Borisch, ). Although there are different engagement models, physicians’ interactions allow them to obtain information about the challenges encountered by their clients while respecting the autonomy of their clients (Emanuel & Emanuel, ).…”