The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were related to basic development issues. These were target-based, time bound and have been among the most successful global goals. Among the list of eight MDG goals, three were related to health. These goals stressed the importance of health challenges at the global level.
Millenium development goals
The SDGs are also, known as ‘Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’. There are 17 Global Goals having 169 targets. SDGs also carry forward the unfinished agenda of MDGs for continuity and to sustain the momentum generated. These also aim to address the challenges of inclusiveness, equity, and urbanisation.
Global goals for sustainable development
The third SDG—‘ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages’—is wide-ranging as compared to the health goals in MDGs that were limited to child and maternal mortality and communicable diseases. The most important feature of SDG3 is universal health coverage which means to provide ‘access to good quality health services without financial hardship for people in need’.
The adolescents face challenges to their healthy development due to a variety of factors. Some of these include poverty, social discrimination, inadequate education, early marriage, and child-bearing. It is speculated that investments in adolescents will have an immediate, direct, and positive impact on India’s health goals.
