Correspondence
Sustainable development goals and country-specific targets We welcome the ef for ts by Robert Cohen and colleagues 1 to promote country-specific targets for post-2015 health goals. Country-specific targets resonate more with local policy makers, health systems workforces, and the population than do global-level targets, however well conceived such targets might be. Countrybased targets can be used to improve human rights, achieve social justice and fairness, and offer the opportunity to make realistic strides to strengthen health systems for the benefit of all citizens. Ideally, country-specific targets should be at the forefront of discussions about post-2015 sustainable development goals. When developed locally by a participative and inclusive process, country-
www.thelancet.com/lancetgh Vol 2 September 2014
specific indicators provide a sense of ownership, more transparent governance, and greater accountability at the local level. As such, locally agreed and owned targets are the most credible drivers for achievement of the post-2015 agenda. The cornerstone of country-specific targets should be at the local level, and the sustainable development goals should be regarded as an unparalleled opportunity to develop the human resources for health and to build public health capacity. Programmes to provide the skills and resources necessary to promote achievement of the country-specific targets could be informed by, among other initiatives, Global Health Service Partnerships to build clinical expertise and leadership, 2 and on Rwanda’s Human Resources for Health Program to deliver change at a local level.3 If the next step in international development is to unite the growing number of political, academic, and
philanthropic players in global health, we need a mechanism to accommodate the unified goals while maintaining some flexibility to reflect different realities in countries and to ensure ownership. Locally conceived and inclusively developed targets with local polices to achieve these might be the best way towards achievement of sustainable development. We declare no competing interests. Copyright © Fitchett et al. Open Access article distributed under the terms of CC BY-NC-SA.
*Joseph R Fitchett, Rifat Atun Joseph.fi[email protected] Department of Infectious Diseases, King’s College London, London(JRF), Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA (RA) 1
2
3
Cohen RL, Bishai DM, Alfonso YN, Kuruvilla S, Schweitzer J. Post-2015 health goals: could country-specific targets supplement global ones? Lancet Glob Health 2014; 2: e373–74. Kerry VB, Mullan F. Global Health Service Partnership: building health professional leadership. Lancet 2014; 383: 1688–91. Binagwaho A, Kyamanywa P, Farmer PE, et al. The Human Resources for Health Program in Rwanda: a new partnership. New Engl J Med 2013; 369: 2054–59.
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Sustainable development goals and country-specific targets We welcome the ef for ts by Robert Cohen and colleagues 1 to promote country-specific targets for post-2015 health goals. Country-specific targets resonate more with local policy makers, health systems workforces, and the population than do global-level targets, however well conceived such targets might be. Countrybased targets can be used to improve human rights, achieve social justice and fairness, and offer the opportunity to make realistic strides to strengthen health systems for the benefit of all citizens. Ideally, country-specific targets should be at the forefront of discussions about post-2015 sustainable development goals. When developed locally by a participative and inclusive process, country-
www.thelancet.com/lancetgh Vol 2 September 2014
specific indicators provide a sense of ownership, more transparent governance, and greater accountability at the local level. As such, locally agreed and owned targets are the most credible drivers for achievement of the post-2015 agenda. The cornerstone of country-specific targets should be at the local level, and the sustainable development goals should be regarded as an unparalleled opportunity to develop the human resources for health and to build public health capacity. Programmes to provide the skills and resources necessary to promote achievement of the country-specific targets could be informed by, among other initiatives, Global Health Service Partnerships to build clinical expertise and leadership, 2 and on Rwanda’s Human Resources for Health Program to deliver change at a local level.3 If the next step in international development is to unite the growing number of political, academic, and
philanthropic players in global health, we need a mechanism to accommodate the unified goals while maintaining some flexibility to reflect different realities in countries and to ensure ownership. Locally conceived and inclusively developed targets with local polices to achieve these might be the best way towards achievement of sustainable development. We declare no competing interests. Copyright © Fitchett et al. Open Access article distributed under the terms of CC BY-NC-SA.
*Joseph R Fitchett, Rifat Atun Joseph.fi[email protected] Department of Infectious Diseases, King’s College London, London(JRF), Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA (RA) 1
2
3
Cohen RL, Bishai DM, Alfonso YN, Kuruvilla S, Schweitzer J. Post-2015 health goals: could country-specific targets supplement global ones? Lancet Glob Health 2014; 2: e373–74. Kerry VB, Mullan F. Global Health Service Partnership: building health professional leadership. Lancet 2014; 383: 1688–91. Binagwaho A, Kyamanywa P, Farmer PE, et al. The Human Resources for Health Program in Rwanda: a new partnership. New Engl J Med 2013; 369: 2054–59.
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