Global Push to Halve Premature Deaths by 2050: The 50-by-50 Goal

Ahead of the 2024 World Health Summit, which includes the World Health Organization (WHO), the Lancet Commission on 'Investing in Health' has set a goal of halving the likelihood of premature deaths worldwide by 2050. Seven of the world's 30 most populated countries, including Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Iran, and Turkey, are on course to fulfill the "ambitious," yet "feasible" objective, dubbed '50-by-50' by the report authors (1). The worldwide collaboration comprises authors from Harvard University's School of Public Health, the WHO, and the Public Health Foundation of India in New Delhi. The researchers added that on average, a person born in 2019 had a 31% chance of dying before the age of 70. If the 50-by-50 objective is met internationally, a person born in 2050 can expect to have only a 15% probability of dying before the age of 70.

The authors stated that the improvements gained by the seven countries in reducing the risk of early mortality can be accomplished early on the path to full universal health care.

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Key Policies for Success: Tobacco Control & Beyond

To accomplish the 50-by-50 objective, the team believes that tobacco control, including taxation, is the most critical policy that governments can undertake, given the number of tobacco-related deaths and governments' established competence to implement tobacco policy.

Consuming sugary drinks has been linked to an increased risk of premature death and heart disease among persons with type 2 diabetes, according to a study led by Harvard University and published in the British Medical Journal in April 2023.

In terms of the exceptionally high death risk from pandemics, the authors attributed the success of the best-performing countries, such as China and Japan, to national implementation of public health fundamentals such as early action, isolation, and quarantine, as well as financial support for the vulnerable.

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Prioritizing 15 Health Conditions: A Path to Global Progress

As part of a targeted approach to building health systems, the authors offered a variety of treatments that they claimed would be cost-effective and possible to adopt in high-, middle-, and low-income countries.

They claimed that increasing investments and services for just 15 priority health conditions- eight infectious and maternal health conditions, and seven noncommunicable disease and injury-related conditions- could reduce premature deaths by half by mid-century in countries that chose to do so.

According to the authors, a decrease in fatalities from these 15 illnesses was critical to the gains in life expectancy between 2000 and 2019.

However, interventions addressing these 15 illnesses remain inaccessible to millions, they warned, citing a lack of focus on the high-priority initial steps of universal health care. Other fiscal changes, such as taxing unhealthy foods and beverages and eliminating fossil fuel subsidies, would immediately boost health and provide income for healthcare services, according to the authors.

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Role of Universal Health Care in Achieving 50-by-50

"The 50-by-50 goal, with an interim milestone of a 30% reduction in the probability of premature death by 2035, remains within reach," the paper's authors said. "The most efficient approach is to focus resources on a specific group of illnesses and increase funding for the development and deployment of new health technology. Our analyses have shown that the economic value of achievable mortality declines is high and is often a substantial fraction of the value of gains from economic growth itself," the paper's authors said.

References:

1. Global health 2050: the path to halving premature death by mid-century (Global health 2050: the path to halving premature death by mid-century Jamison, Dean T et al. The Lancet, Volume 0, Issue 0)

Source-Medindia