INTRODUCTION & GLOBAL HEALTH LANDSCAPE
Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all
Since the creation of the Millennium Development Goals there have been historic achievements
in reducing child mortality, improving maternal health and tackling HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis,
malaria and other diseases. In 15 years, the number of people newly infected by HIV each year
has dropped from 3.1 million to 2 million and over 6.2 million lives were saved from malaria.
Since 1990, maternal mortality fell by 45 percent, and worldwide there has been an over 50
percent decline in preventable child deaths globally.
Despite this incredible progress, AIDS is the leading cause of death among adolescents in sub-
Saharan Africa, and 22 million people living with HIV are not accessing life-saving antiretroviral
therapy. New HIV infections continue to rise in some locations and in populations that are
typically excluded or marginalised.
Chronic and catastrophic disease remains one of the main factors that push households from
poverty into deprivation. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) impose a large burden on human
health worldwide. Currently, 63% of all deaths worldwide stem from NCDs – chiefly
cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes. The cumulative
economic losses to low- and middle-income countries from the four diseases are estimated to
surpass US$ 7 trillion by 2025. Additionally, there continues to be underinvestment in the social
circumstances and environmental factors affecting health. The job on HIV and health is far from
done.
Recognizing the interdependence of health and development, the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) provide an ambitious, comprehensive plan of action for people, planet and
prosperity and for ending the injustices that underpin poor health and development outcomes.
SDG 3 aspires to ensure health and well-being for all, including a bold commitment to end the
epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other communicable diseases by 2030. It also aims
to achieve universal health coverage, and provide access to safe and effective medicines and
vaccines for all. Supporting research and development for vaccines is an essential part of this
process as well as expanding access to affordable medicines.
Promoting health and well-being is one of 17 Global Goals that make up the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development. An integrated approach is crucial for progress across the multiple
goals.
importance of health in sustainable development
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development presents 17 interconnected Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) aimed at fostering economic, social, and environmental progress.
SDG 3 focuses specifically on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being, but health is
crucial to achieving all goals. Achieving these objectives requires collaboration among
governments, private sectors, civil society, and communities, emphasizing a multisectoral,
bottom-up approach.
Universal health coverage (UHC), a key target under SDG 3, aims to provide equitable access to
health services while protecting against catastrophic health expenses that push millions into
poverty annually. Strengthening health systems, addressing inequities, and reducing out-of-
pocket payments are critical. Tackling health disparities—exacerbated by governance gaps,
corruption, and factors like ethnicity, gender, and disability—supports broader social equality
and human rights goals.
Improved data collection and monitoring mechanisms are essential to track progress on health-
related SDGs and guide policies. Environmental factors, responsible for 23% of global deaths,
also play a significant role in health outcomes. Progress on environmental SDGs, such as
reducing pollution and improving sanitation, directly enhances health.
To ensure accountability and progress, the WHO's 2019–2023 framework provides tools for
countries to measure and report advancements toward health-related SDGs. Collaboration
across UN agencies and sectors is vital to address social, economic, and environmental
determinants of health, ultimately contributing to the success of all SDGs.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted—and exacerbated—the gaps in healthcare systems in
lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Prior to the pandemic, almost a third of the
population in those countries lived more than two hours away from essential healthcare
services, and the ratio of healthcare workers to population was typically well below the
minimum recommended by WHO.1 The loss of healthcare workers to COVID-19 and the
disruption of transport systems because of lockdowns have worsened the impact of these
issues.
However, a silver lining of the pandemic has been the growth in digital tools, with companies
reporting an acceleration in the adoption of digital technology by several years. Digital
technologies have tremendous potential not only to improve countries’ responses to infectious-
disease threats but also to strengthen primary healthcare. McKinsey and the Exemplars in
Global Health have had a yearlong research collaboration focused on assessing digital tools for
primary healthcare in LMICs (prioritizing those used during the COVID-19 pandemic) to
understand how to harness digital tools to transform primary healthcare systems and to achieve
step-change improvements in healthcare.
References
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare/our-insights/unlocking-digital-
healthcare-in-lower-and-middle-income-countries
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6154063/
https://jointsdgfund.org/sustainable-development-goals/goal-3-good-health-and-well-
being
