Sustainable Development Goal 3. Good Health and Well-being
The goal:
Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3), regarding "Good Health and Well-being", is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations in 2015.
The official wording is: "To ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
The targets of SDG 3 cover and focus on various aspects of healthy life and healthy lifestyle. Progress towards the targets is measured using twenty-one indicators.
SDG 3 has 13 targets and 28 indicators to measure progress toward targets.
3.1: Reduce maternal mortality
3.2: End all preventable deaths under five years of age
3.3: Fight communicable diseases
3.4: Reduce mortality from non-communicable diseases and promote mental health
3.5: Prevent and treat substance abuse
3.6: Reduce road injuries and deaths
3.7: Universal access to sexual and reproductive care, family planning and education
3.8: Achieve universal health coverage
3.9: Reduce illnesses and deaths from hazardous chemicals and pollution
3.a: Implement the WHO framework convention on tobacco control
3.b: Support research, development and universal access to affordable vaccines and medicines
3.c: Increase health financing and support health workforce in developing countries
3.d: Improve early warning systems for global health risks
Not only does disease impact the well being of an individual, it burdens family and public resources, weakens societies, and squanders potential. The health and well being of people at all ages therefore lies at the heart of sustainable development. Protection from disease is not only fundamental to survival, but it enables opportunity for everyone and strengthens economic growth and prosperity.
SDG 3 aims to achieve universal health coverage, that seeks equitable access of healthcare services to all men and women. It proposes to end the preventable death of newborns, infants and children under five (child mortality) and end epidemics.
Good health is essential to sustainable development and the 2030 Agenda. It focuses on broader economic and social inequalities, urbanization, climate crisis, continuing burden of HIV and other infectious diseases, not forgetting emerging challenges such as non-communicable diseases.
Considering the global pandemic of COVID-19, there is a need to give significant attention towards the realization of good health and well being on a global scale.
Poor health constitutes suffering and deprivation of the most fundamental kind. Over the years, significant strides have been made in increasing life expectancy and reducing some of the common killers associated with child and maternal mortality. Globally, the incidence of major infectious diseases has declined since 2000, including HIV/AIDS, malaria, and TB, but the challenge of these and new pandemics remains in many regions of the world. An immense progress is globally made in finding newer treatments, vaccines, and technologies for healthcare, but universal affordable access to healthcare remains a challenge.
Before the COVID pandemic, major progress was made in improving the health of millions of people. Significant strides were made in increasing life expectancy and reducing some of the common killers associated with child and maternal mortality. But more efforts are needed to fully eradicate a wide range of diseases and address many different persistent and emerging health issues. By focusing on providing more efficient funding of health systems, improved sanitation and hygiene, and increased access to physicians, significant progress can be made in helping to save the lives of millions.
The international community, through Goal 3, has committed itself to a global effort to eradicate disease, strengthen treatment and healthcare, and address new and emerging health issues. It calls for innovation, and research in these areas to further enhance public policy efforts. A holistic approach to better health will require ensuring universal access to healthcare and to making medicine and vaccines affordable. It also calls for a renewed focus on mental health issues. Suicide is the second leading cause of death globally between the ages of 19 to 25. And finally, health and wellbeing are closely linked with the quality of our environment, and Goal 3 also aims to substantially reduce the numbers of deaths and illnesses caused by air, water, and soil pollution and contamination.
Links to other SDGs
SDG 3 is interwoven throughout the 2030 Agenda, with its targets directly linking to targets in other goals. Among these are targets of :
SDG 2; 2.2 (end all forms of malnutrition),
SDG 4; 4.1 (free, equitable and good-quality secondary education), 4.2 (good-quality early childhood development), 4.7 (knowledge and skills for sustainable development),
SDG 5; 5.2 (eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls in the public and private spheres), 5.3 (eliminate all harmful practices, including female genital mutilation), 5.6 (universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights),
SDG 6; 6.1(access to drinking water), 6.2 (access to sanitation),
SDG 7; 7.1 (access to modern energy services),
SDG 9; 9.5 (enhance scientific research /increase number of R&D workers),
SDG 11; 11.6 (air quality and municipal waste),
SDG 13; 13.1 (resilience to natural disasters),
SDG 16; 16.1 (reduce violence and related death rates)
