The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 275 No 7364 p247
27 August 2005

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Developing countries struggle to meet development goals

Most developing countries will not meet the health Millennium Development Goals if trends established in the 1990s continue, according to a report published by the World Health Organization this week.

“Health and the Millenium Development Goals” warns that none of the poorest regions in the developing world is on track to meet child mortality targets. And declines in maternal mortality have only been achieved in countries that already have low mortality rates. The report analyses why improvements in health systems have been slow and how the rate of progress can be increased. Weak and inequitable health systems are the key obstacle, the WHO argues, in particular a crisis in health personnel and a lack of sustainable health funding. However, progress is being made in increasing the availability of essential drugs to developing regions.