Revisiting Public Health
From the Alma-Ata Declaration of 1978 for health for all, to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of 2015 to eradicate poverty by 2030, the hope for public health remains intricately tied to peace and prosperity for people and the planet.
If COVID19 had one umbrella lesson to teach, it taught that "no-one is safe until everyone is safe." Certainly a startling reality for developed countries. The United States of America phenomenally devastated by a national public health emergency given its advancements in economics, pharmaceuticals, health care and technology.
As we emerge from the ravages of the pandemic, certainly not the last, determinants of public health should be revisited.
Global Problem
Primary health care can no longer be the key to achieving health for all. Diagnosis and treatment no longer suffices.
Long-COVID once again proved that prevention is better than cure.
Begging the question: what actually is the way forward for public health?
Evolution of Global Determinants of Public Health
We are now 23 years post 2000 - and the Alma-Ata goal of health for all remains unattained. It took twenty years until all countries of the United Nations in 2015 agreed to adopt the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). On its list of 17 goals and 169 targets, SDG goal 3 proposes healthy lives and wellbeing for all ages. Goal one is to eradicate poverty.