Dramatic progress has been made in improving the health of the world’s poorest countries – but not as much as had been hoped, according to figures published yesterday.
Global agencies gave themselves 15 years at the turn of the century to make progress and achieve so-called Millennium Development Goals.
Figures published yesterday by the World Health Organisations show improvements in child and maternal survival, in improving nutrition and in cutting deaths from infections from TB, HIV and malaria.
This has meant significant reductions in the gaps between the healthiest countries and those with the most problem, WHO says in its annual World Health Statistics report.
It says some countries have made such strides in reducing child death rates that they no longer rank in the bottom quarter. These include Bangladesh, Nepal, Rwanda and Senegal.
WHO director general Dr Margaret Chan said: "Intensive efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals have clearly improved health for people all over the world.
“But with less than 1,000 days to go to reach the Millennium Development Goal deadline, it is timely to ask if these efforts have made a difference in reducing the unacceptable inequities between the richest and poorest countries.”
Dr Ties Boerma, of WHO, said: "Our statistics show that overall the gaps are closing between the most-advantaged and least-advantaged countries of the world.
“However, the situation is far from satisfactory as progress is uneven and large gaps persist between and within countries."
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