Time for a quality revolution in global health

19/08/2016

Time for a quality revolution in global health

The Lancet "The beginning of 2016 marked a major transition in global health: from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The core strategy used to reduce mortality from MDG health conditions was expansion of coverage of a short list of effective but relatively simple health interventions.

Indeed, success on many of the MDGs was measured through coverage (eg, proportion of births with skilled attendants). There are two reasons to think that the utilisation strategy will not deliver the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

(...) Improving future health outcomes across the globe will thus mean paying attention to what happens once people reach the clinic—the quality of care. However, whereas data on health-care use greatly improved in the MDG era, we know little about the quality and effectiveness of care in lower-income countries." (Photo: UNAMID/flickr)