MDGs Increasing Health Inequity?

[Margaret Emmott]

I just read a Lancet article (Gwatkin, D. How much would poor people gain from faster progress towards the MDGs for health?.Vol 365, February 25, 2005.) that discusses the problems with the push of MDGs to evaluate health and development improvements at the national level.

No doubt, the goals that aim to reduce poverty directly are benefiting those persons living on less than 1USD per day. However, as health goals are set at the national level, program managers and health ministries are pushed to improve health in populations that are easiest to reach (the low hanging fruit) rather than communities that are really suffering the greatest vulnerabilities to death and disease. In reality, health inequity will most likely be increased if MDGs are rapidly reached without concerted effort towards reaching those most in need.

I am interested to hear others' thoughts on the matter as well as evaluation and implementation strategies we can take as a sector to target the improvement of health equity.

Gwatkin.pdf