Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
We have made great progress against several leading causes of death and disease. Life expectancy has increased dramatically; infant and maternal mortality rates have declined, we’ve turned the tide on HIV and malaria deaths have halved.
Good health is essential to sustainable development and the 2030 Agenda reflects the complexity and interconnectedness of the two. It takes into account widening economic and social inequalities, rapid urbanization, threats to the climate and the environment, the continuing burden of HIV and other infectious diseases, and emerging challenges such as noncommunicable diseases. Universal health coverage will be integral to achieving SDG 3, ending poverty and reducing inequalities. Emerging global health priorities not explicitly included in the SDGs, including antimicrobial resistance, also demand action.
But the world is off-track to achieve the health-related SDGs. Progress has been uneven, both between and within countries. There’s a 31-year gap between the countries with the shortest and longest life expectancies. And while some countries have made impressive gains, national averages hide that many are being left behind. Multisectoral, rights-based and gender-sensitive approaches are essential to address inequalities and to build good health for all.
400 million people have no basic healthcare, and 40 percent lack social protection.
Cameras and sensors in smartphones and tablets are allowing healthcare workers to deliver telemedicine and remote diagnosis of disease.
Connected thermometers monitor vaccine delivery and storage to prevent spoilage.
Fitness wearables and health patches monitor movement, heartrate, falls, oxygen saturation, ECG, body temp, respiratory rate to provide a real-time picture of health.
Movements of people can be monitored via anonymized call detail records (CDRs) during a disease outbreak.
Indoor pollution from cookstoves burning biomass fuels such as wood or animal dung kills 4.3 million people globally per year.
Sensors can identify homes with toxic levels of air pollution to prevent deaths.