Time to get real: AfGH Policy Report launched – "2010 Reality Check - Time is running out to meet the health MDGs"

On World Health Day (7 April 2010), a new report by Action for Global Health was launched simultaneously in six places across the European Union. The report "2010 Reality Check: Time is Running Out to Meet the Health Millennium Development Goals" urges European leaders to focus on concrete issues and take up actions that can break the cycle of poverty and ill health in developing countries. EPHA is a member of this Consortium.

In light of the upcoming United Nations MDG Review Summit in September this year, this timely report details why 2010 is a key year for action to improve the dramatic situation. It also clearly defines what the EU and its Member States need to do to reach the health MDGs. Notably, 10 years from signing the MDGs, the EU still has no comprehensive strategy for tackling the health inequalities that exist between rich and poor countries.

The report includes critical input and evidence from community groups, health workers and officials in developing countries, in particular Sierra Leone, Mali and Cambodia. It examines key areas where donor and partner countries should direct their efforts: addressing the critical shortage of health workers, strengthening primary healthcare systems that are free at the point of use, bringing communities to the forefront of planning, implementation and evaluation of health policies, and ensuring universal access to health for all.

Action for Global Health report 2010 Reality Check