Health

Where does this issue fit into the Millennium Goals?

There are three Millennium Goals specifically relating to the topic of health. Health is also an important contributor to several other goals. The significance of the Millennium Development Goals lies in the linkages between them: they are a mutually reinforcing framework to improve overall human development.

1. Goal 4: Reduce child mortality – This goal is to reduce the 1990 under-five mortality rate by two-thirds.
2. Goal 5: Improve maternal health – The aim of this goal is to reduce by three quarters the maternal mortality ratio.
3. Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases – The aim is to halt and then begin to reverse the incidence of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other major diseases by 2015.

How does this issue affect people?

Good health is something that every single human wishes for, regardless of location or circumstances.

It’s not hard to understand how ill-health affects people – a simple dose of the flu can keep us all away from work, family and friends. With access to decent health care in first world nations however, something like flu is usually considered not much more than an inconvenience.

In underdeveloped communities, even simple health issues are amplified due to the lack of local resources to fight disease and lower education levels that would help promote better health practices.

Information on this page was researched and collated with the help of Oxfam Australia, WHO, WHO’s Roll Back Malaria program, the United Nations Website.

“Improvements in health are essential if progress is to be made with the other Millennium Development Goals.”

Dr LEE Jong-wook – Director-General, World Health Organisation