Medical students and the Millennium Development Goals

Nowadays, over 1 billion people live on less than $1 a day with nearly half the world's population living on less than $2 a day. This has an enormous impact on primary health care access worldwide. The eight Millennium Development Goals, ranging from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, are the world's time-bound and quantified targets for addressing extreme poverty in its many aspects. Focusing on income poverty, hunger, disease, lack of adequate shelter and primary care, while on the other hand promoting gender equality, education, and environmental sustainability.

We recognize that the Millennium Development Goals are putting health at the center of development thinking and the global health agenda, giving the health professional a great deal of responsibility and opportunities to make an impact in poverty and development issues.

We have the opportunity in the coming decade to cut world poverty by half. Billions more people could enjoy healthy food and products of the global economy. Tens of millions of lives can be saved. Millions of people can enjoy safe drinking water. More than 500 million people will be lifted out of extreme poverty. More than 300 million will no longer suffer from hunger. Rather than die before reaching their fifth birthdays, 30 million children will be saved. All that is needed is action.

There's more. Achieving the Goals will mean 350 million fewer people are without safe drinking water and 650 million fewer people live without the benefits of basic sanitation, allowing them to lead healthier and more dignified lives. Hundreds of millions more children will go to school. Behind all these large numbers are the lives and hopes of people seeking new opportunities to end the burden of grinding poverty and to contribute to economic growth and renewal.2

However, there is a need to understand that the Millennium Development Goals are goals, but they do not tell us strategies on how to achieve those goals.

During the previous months IFMSA has committed itself to address poverty and hunger problems worldwide and raise awareness about this global challenge among medical students worldwide.

As future healthcare professionals, we are in a position to reverse this widening gap in society. This can be achieved by acknowledging that such problems exist, and by working hard to give every single person the opportunity to afford primary health care, no matter where he or she lives.

Students in many of our 94 member organizations educate themselves about poverty, hunger and health inequalities problems worldwide or take part in community projects.

We believe in a future where doctors play a strong role in helping local, national and international communities to both prevent poverty and hunger and protect those most vulnerable to it. Through our extra-curricular activities, we prepare ourselves for that role.

For more information about medical students activities in fighting against poverty and hunger, see www.ifmsa.org/projects and contact our Project Coordinator. We've come a long way, and we've got a long way to go. Now let's really get started.

Jana Kammeyer
President
International Federation of Medical Students' Associations
(Final year, P. J. Safarik University of Kosice, Slovakia)

References:
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development: www.oecd.org
Sachs, Jeffrey D., The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time. New York: The Penguin Press, 2005.
UN Millennium Project: www.unmillenniumproject.org