On 7 April, World Health Day is a reminder to advance UN Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3) - "Good Health and Well-being". This year, the focus is on maternal and newborn health: Every eleven seconds, statistically speaking, a pregnant woman or a newborn child dies worldwide - often from preventable diseases or complications during childbirth. The situation is particularly alarming in South Sudan, where maternal mortality is the highest in the world and only 19 per cent of births can be attended by trained health personnel. Misereor takes stock and calls for reliable, long-term funding for global healthcare.
"In South Sudan, well-equipped health facilities for the treatment of mothers and children are a rarity. The lack of vital medical care makes childbirth a dangerous risk," explains Misereor partner Dr Rosario Iannetti from the Mary Immaculate Hospital in Mapuordit in South Sudan. Despite the difficult conditions in the politically unstable country, the hospital is achieving amazing things: within five years, 3,192 births have been carried out there and almost 21,000 women have taken part in prenatal care. Without this care, many women miss out on vital examinations - often with fatal consequences for them and their babies.
Where SDG 3 has not yet been implemented
In addition to reducing maternal and child mortality, SDG 3 aims to prevent and treat communicable and non-communicable diseases. A key prerequisite is access to basic health services without people falling into financial hardship. Misereor's assessment is mixed: in countries with a high poverty rate, around 90 per cent of the population live without health insurance. Around 14,000 infants die every day, many of them from infectious diseases that could be reliably cured with little money. Maternal mortality is not falling as hoped. Worldwide, 830 women die every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth.
Global health services with successes
But there are also successes: since 1990, the global mortality rate for children under the age of five has fallen by 60 per cent. The average life expectancy of a newborn has risen worldwide from 51 to 71 years since 1960. In sub-Saharan Africa, almost 21 million AIDS-related deaths have been prevented in the last 30 years thanks to widespread access to HIV treatment, resulting in fewer children becoming orphans. HIV testing and treatment as part of mother-to-child care has prevented more than 3.4 million HIV infections in children since 2000.
Lack of funding jeopardises lives
"Despite some positive developments, inequality in global healthcare remains alarmingly high," says Ellen Schmitt, health expert at Misereor. Progress on SDG 3 has suffered a setback due to the coronavirus pandemic, particularly in poorer countries. Now the next shock is looming: the USA, Germany, the UK and Switzerland are announcing drastic cuts to development aid funding. The USA wants to withdraw as the world's largest donor for health projects. "This is a horror scenario for millions of people - a dramatic increase in preventable and treatable diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis and malaria is to be expected. We are moving further away from realising the right to health and a healthy life for all," warns Schmitt. Dr Rosario Iannetti also emphasises that the health system in South Sudan is 80percentdependentonforeignaid. Misereor project partners show that good health services can save millions of lives - if they are financed.
The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda were launched in 2015 at the World Summit on Sustainable Development as a global plan to combat poverty, inequality and protect the environment. Misereor is working with its partners in the Global South to achieve these goals, particularly in the areas of education, food, water, energy and sustainable cities. However, countries have not yet sufficiently fulfilled their responsibilities by the 2030 target.
