Countries that choose to do so could cut premature deaths by half, researchers say

Since 1970, 37 countries have halved the chance of their citizens dying before reaching the age of 70, a milestone that marks the remarkable progress many countries have made in preventing and treating disease. But a new report says this goal is out of reach for any country that chooses to reduce its premature mortality, even those affected by war or poverty.

The report, published on October 14 by The Lancet Commission on Investing in Health, draws up a roadmap for any country that chooses to halve the risk of premature death for its citizens by 2050.

This goal, which the committee calls “50 by 50,” is achievable, the report says, through a series of targeted investments in health care, such as expanding childhood immunizations and low-cost prevention and treatments for common causes of preventable deaths, combined with economies of scale. increase funding to develop new health technologies.

“Today, the case for pursuing mortality reduction is better than ever,” said Gavin Yamey, MD, director of the Duke University Center for Policy Impact in Global Health (CPIGH), who led the writing of the committee report.

“It’s a prize within reach. It will deliver extraordinary health, well-being and economic benefits. Reaching ’50 by 50′ would reduce mortality and morbidity, help economies grow and alleviate poverty.”

The Global Health 2050 report, launched at the World Health Summit in Berlin, says countries should prioritize the 15 health problems that cause the most premature deaths. These include infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and respiratory infections, non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, and other issues such as accidents and suicide.

Most of the increase in global life expectancy over the past two decades can be attributed to the decline in mortality caused by these conditions, according to the report.

However, millions of people around the world still do not have access to prevention and treatment services that can protect them from these causes of premature death.

The authors say countries can make significant gains by publicly subsidizing the costs of essential medicines, diagnostics, vaccines and other interventions that address these fifteen conditions. This government subsidy, they argue, should be combined with increased funding for research and innovation to develop new health technologies.

If the ’50 by 50′ targets are achieved by every country, a person born in 2050 would have only a 15% chance of dying before the age of 70, compared to 31% for someone born in 2019. Of the 37 countries that are on track to achieve this benchmark are seven of the world’s most populous countries, including Bangladesh, China and Iran.

But such gains are achievable and sustainable in any high-, middle- and low-income country that chooses this path, the report says. The authors outline specific health financing policies and strategies that make it feasible for even the poorest countries to take a cost-effective approach to reducing mortality.

“Health policy changes people’s lives,” said Wenhui Mao, Ph.D., senior policy analyst at Duke University and one of 50 authors of the committee report. “Without good health care policies, populations will not get the health outcomes they deserve. Major differences will continue to exist.”

The report calls for higher taxes on tobacco products, unhealthy foods and beverages, and fossil fuels, which the authors say would both reduce the number of diseases and deaths caused by these products and increase revenue that can be reinvested in healthcare systems . While all of these taxes are a win-win situation, the clear message from the commission is that high taxes on tobacco are by far the highest priority.

For example, the committee points out that smoking remains one of the leading causes of preventable death in many parts of the world, causing more than 8 million deaths worldwide each year, the report said. World Health Organisation.

Raising taxes on tobacco could be the single most important health policy in the commission’s report, Yamey notes, because of the immediate gains it could bring to the world’s poorest citizens. “They are the most price sensitive, so they are more likely to quit if tobacco prices rise,” he says. “Therefore, they are more likely to reap the health and financial benefits of quitting smoking.”

Global Health 2050 is the third report released by the commission since its founding in 2013. The commission was chaired by former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers, 20 years after the World Bank published a 1993 report entitled “Investing in Health,” which found that targeted spending on cost-effective interventions for high-burden diseases could improve health outcomes, stimulate economies, and improve human well-being.

“Early mortality and premature death from disease are devastating for families, communities, economies and countries,” Yamey said. “You want people to live long, healthy and productive lives. We hope this report helps bring focus to this global health agenda.”