Universal health is key to the economic and social progress of society in general. The concept is not driven by considerations of boundaries; rather it helps to ensure that all human beings, irrespective of their income, have access to quality health services. This effort is dependent on an efficient health system that provides need-based, on-demand services.
Universal health for all is important as it provides the basis of a robust society that can lead to:
1. Better health outcomes, especially for marginalized populations.
2. Reduction in poverty through reduced spending on healthcare.
3. Economic prosperity through better health, and thereby a more productive population.
4. Equality through the reduction in health inequities regardless of income or social status.
5. Robust health systems improve the quality of care, creating a multiplier effect on the efficiency of the system itself.
Universal healthcare ensures that all human beings, irrespective of their income, have access to quality health services.
The Background of SDG3
The United Nations introduced the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, realizing the need for a peaceful and inclusive world. The SDGs are a universal call to end poverty and protect the planet in a peaceful and prosperous environment. The 17 goals are interdependent and have specific targets and indicators.
SDG 3 is a global goal that looks to ensure health and promote well-being for everyone. This is referred to as the “Health and Well-being” goal.
SDG 3 focuses on good health and well-being as essential for individuals, communities, and nations to enable everyone to thrive and achieve their potential. The idea behind SDG 3 is that good health is a fundamental human right and a prerequisite for sustainable development. Therefore, investing in health and well-being will increase productivity, economic growth, and social stability. This in turn will help to reduce poverty reduction and the promote an equitable society.
The specific objectives of SDG 3:
- Reduce the mortality rate from non-communicable diseases.
- Reduce communicable diseases.
- Improve mental health and well-being and prevent substance abuse.
- Create and improve health systems and access to essential medicines and vaccines.
- Improve healthcare access for vulnerable populations, including women, children, and the elderly.
- Mitigate the impact of health emergencies such as pandemics and natural disasters.
Some important specific targets of SDG 3 include reducing maternal and child mortality, tackling infectious diseases, and ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights. SDG 3 also promotes access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services such as family planning and information through the integration of reproductive health into national programs.
SDG 3 addresses the social factors of health such as poverty, gender inequality, education, and environmental factors.
Let’s take a better, and deeper look at the targets.
What are some SDG3 Targets for 2030?
1. By 2030, aim to lower the global maternal mortality rate to fewer than 70 deaths per 100,000 live births.
2. By 2030, eliminate preventable deaths among newborns and children under 5 years old. All countries should strive to decrease neonatal mortality to at least 12 per 1,000 live births and under-5 mortality to no more than 25 per 1,000 live births.
3. By 2030, eradicate the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and neglected tropical diseases, while also combating hepatitis, water-borne diseases, and other communicable illnesses.
4. By 2030, reduce premature mortality from non-communicable diseases by one-third through prevention, treatment, and by promoting mental health and well-being.
5. Enhance efforts to prevent and treat substance abuse, including the misuse of narcotic drugs and alcohol.
6. By 2020, aim to reduce by half the number of deaths and injuries caused by road traffic accidents worldwide.
7. By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health services, including family planning, information, education, and the integration of reproductive health into national policies and programs.
8. Achieve universal health coverage, encompassing financial risk protection, access to essential quality healthcare services, and access to safe, effective, high-quality, and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for everyone.
9. By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and illnesses resulting from exposure to hazardous chemicals and from air, water, and soil pollution and contamination.
10. Enhance the implementation of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control across all countries as appropriate.
11. Promote research and development of vaccines and medicines for communicable and non-communicable diseases that primarily affect developing countries, and ensure access to affordable essential medicines and vaccines. This should be in line with the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, which upholds the right of developing countries to fully utilize the provisions of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights to protect public health, particularly by ensuring access to medicines for all.
12. Significantly increase health funding and strengthen the recruitment, development, training, and retention of the healthcare workforce in developing countries, especially in the least developed countries and small island developing states.
13. Enhance the capacity of all countries, particularly developing ones, to engage in early warning, risk reduction, and management of national and global health risks.
What’s hindering the achievement of these targets?
What are the 5 key challenges to achieving SDG3?
Our global experts have identified several common challenges:
1. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are interdependent and must be addressed holistically rather than individually. Therefore, achieving SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) requires a comprehensive approach that also considers the other SDGs.
2. It is crucial to tackle the fundamental determinants of health and well-being, including socio-economic factors such as education, income, and gender equality.
3. Prioritizing investment in healthcare and securing sufficient funding are essential for making a sustained, long-term impact on global health.
4. The focus should extend beyond merely combating diseases to fostering a healthy society for all individuals.
5. Global collaboration is necessary, with all nations working together to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
This is a global perspective of the Sustainable Development Goals 3. Now, let’s dive deeper into the Indian context.
SDG-3 and the Indian Story
SDG 3 is particularly important for India, given the challenges faced by its large and diverse population. Despite significant economic progress, India has faced challenges of equity and lack of access to quality health services, particularly in rural areas. With a rise in noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, the need to address health as a determinant of progress was strongly felt. Due to an archaic patriarchal society, maternal and child health was also often neglected. Thus it was important for policymakers to look at reducing maternal and neonatal mortality and improving nutrition and nutritional deficiencies among children and women.
India has come a long way in achieving SDG 3. Some of the path-breaking initiatives taken by the government in this regard:
- National Health Mission (NHM). The NHM aims to improve availability and access to affordable and quality healthcare, particularly for those residing in rural areas, the poor, women, and children; providing public health services in the areas of women’s health, child health, water, sanitation, and hygiene, immunization; and nutrition. The NHM created a set of specific targets based on indicators as an important step toward achieving SDG 3.
- Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme. This flagship health insurance scheme was launched to provide free healthcare services to the poor and underprivileged sections of society. The ultimate result will be coverage of medical treatment for serious illnesses for about 500 million people.
- National Programme for Health Care for the Elderly (NPHCE). The objective of NPHCE is to provide separate, specialized, and comprehensive healthcare to the elderly including outreach services.
- Immunization. India has made considerable progress in immunizing its population against various diseases, including measles, polio, and tetanus. The COVID-19 immunization program was the largest in the world and covered more than 90 percent of the population in a very short time. Undoubtedly, India has made significant progress in this area as part of its efforts to achieve SDG 3.
- Malaria eradication. India accounted for almost 3 percent of the global malaria burden according to the World Malaria Report in 2019. India has made major progress in recent years in reducing malaria incidence and deaths. There has been a steady decline in the estimated malaria cases with a registered reduction of 24 percent in 2017 compared to 2016, and 28 percent in 2018 compared to 2017.
- Tobacco abuse. Tobacco use is one of the biggest public health threats in India. It leads to lost lives and has major social and economic costs. The Indian Government has taken several measures to control the use of tobacco Such as the National Tobacco Control Program (NTCP), which aims at reducing tobacco use in India, using measures such as higher taxation, advertising restrictions, health warnings, and cessation services.
Despite significant economic progress, India has faced challenges of equity and lack of access to quality health services, particularly in rural areas.
Promoting Health Awareness
S M Sehgal Foundation (Sehgal Foundation), a sustainable rural development NGO in India, has worked since 1999 to improve the quality of life in rural communities in India. As a rural development NGO, S M Sehgal Foundation has a skilled and dedicated team that creates sustainable programs to address rural India’s most pressing needs: S M Sehgal Foundation program areas are Water Management; Agriculture Development; Local Participation and Sustainability; Transform Lives one school at a time, and Outreach for Development. The programs are supported by a skilled research team that engages in participatory research, impact assessment, and interactive dialogues to determine informed actions to achieve sustainable results.
Establishment of E-Poshan Kendra: A Message for a Healthy Lifestyle
In June 2021, S M Sehgal Foundation began the implementation of a CSR-supported partnership initiative in district Nuh, Haryana. This integrated village development project works on water, education, health, sanitation, nutrition, and agriculture. The project included the setup of a Village Development Committee (VDC) in the project village to oversee the initiatives and sustain them for the future.
In October 2021, the project team initiated the endeavor to transform a choupal into an E-Poshan Kendra (E-nutrition center).
By January 2022, the choupal transformation was completed. Solar panels were installed in the E-Poshan Kendra for a sustainable source of energy. Community-women became keenly interested in the E-Poshan Kendra and started regularly attending the training sessions held there on nutrition and a balanced diet.
Gradually the E-Poshan Kendra became a hub of information provision on good nutrition practices, and sanitation, as well as on key government services. E-Poshan Kendra provides structured training to village women and showcases thematic films and inspirational stories on sanitation and nutrition. Vaccination drives for village children were also organized in this center.
A choupal was transformed into an E-Poshan Kendra in January 2022. Community-women became keenly interested in the E-Poshan Kendra and began attending the regular training sessions held here on nutrition and a balanced diet.
The Way Forward
India faces several challenges in achieving SDGs.
Insufficient funding is a major challenge to achieving SDG 3. Robust health systems require sustained investment to ensure that they are well-equipped to deliver quality healthcare services to all. Addressing the challenges requires a comprehensive approach involving health, education, finance, and the environment.
Government initiatives, sufficient funding, and effective Public-Private Partnerships are critical to achieving SDG 3 and ensuring that all people enjoy the benefits of quality healthcare, health, and well-being.
Going forward, achieving SDG 3 in India is essential for better health and well-being and for removing disparities. This will help build a sustainable and equitable society. The vision of becoming a true economic superpower will be achieved once India’s population is healthy.
Government initiatives, sufficient funding, and effective public-private partnerships are critical to achieving SDG 3 and ensuring that all people enjoy the benefits of quality healthcare, health, and well-being.
FAQs
SDG 3 is one of 17 global goals to ensure a healthy population and promote well-being for everyone. SDG 3 is also referred to as the “Health and Well-being” goal.
Some important specific targets of SDG 3 include reduction in maternal and child mortality, tackling infectious diseases, and ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights. SDG 3 also promotes access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services such as family planning and information through the integration of reproductive health into national programs.
The specific objectives of SDG 3 are to reduce mortality rates from noncommunicable diseases; reduce communicable diseases; improve mental health and well-being and prevent substance abuse; create and improve health systems and access to essential medicines and vaccines; improve healthcare access for vulnerable populations, including women, children, and the old; and mitigate the impact of health emergencies such as pandemics and natural disasters.
SDG 3 is particularly important for India, given the challenges it faces due to its large and diverse population. Despite significant economic progress, India has faced challenges of equity and lack of access to quality health services, particularly in rural areas. With a rise in noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, the need to address health as a determinant of progress is felt. Due to an archaic patriarchal society, maternal and child health was often neglected. Thus it is important for policymakers to look at reducing maternal and neonatal mortality, and to improve nutrition and nutritional deficiencies among children and women.
Some of the path-breaking initiatives taken by the government in this regard:
- National Health Mission (NHM) improves availability and access to affordable and quality healthcare, particularly for those residing in rural areas, the poor, women, and children.
- Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme provides free healthcare services to the poor and underprivileged sections of society.
- National Programme for Health Care for the Elderly (NPHCE) provides separate, specialized, and comprehensive healthcare to the elderly, including outreach services.
- Immunization against various diseases, includes measles, polio, and tetanus.
- Malaria eradication
- National Tobacco Control Program (NTCP) reduces tobacco use in India.
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