At the turn of the century the world set itself targets to improve health and tackle poverty in the poorest countries by this year – and the results are "mixed", according to a report published yesterday.
In four key areas the world is set to meet its targets – in tackling HIV, malaria and TB and access to safe drinking water, according to the World Health Organisation.
It has also made substantial progress in tackling maternal and child deaths and in reducing child under-nutrition, WHO said.
Child deaths have halved since 1990 – but the target was to cut them by two-thirds, it said. Deaths of women during pregnancy have also halved – but the target was to cut them by 75%.
New World Health Statistics also show that life expectancy has increased by six years globally since 1990.
And in some countries as many as one third of births are delivered through Caesarean section – and 15% of women world-wide are obese, they show.
Among men, 25% have increased blood pressure.
WHO director general Dr Margaret Chan said: “The Millenium Development Goals have been good for public health. They have focused political attention and generated badly needed funds for many important public health challenges.
“While progress has been very encouraging, there are still wide gaps between and within countries. Today’s report underscores the need to sustain efforts to ensure the world’s most vulnerable people have access to health services.”
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