The report analyzes progress on 50 health-related SDG targets and indicators in the Eastern Mediterranean Region between 2015 and 2019. It finds that over half of the indicators showed some progress, including reductions in child malnutrition and increases in vaccination rates and healthcare workers. However, targets for reducing maternal, child, and neonatal mortality are still not being met. It also identifies five key challenges: weak governance, fragmented healthcare systems, limited data availability, emergencies like COVID-19, and issues of gender equality and health disparities. The way forward involves strengthening leadership, investing in health systems, expanding access to care, collaborating across sectors, and ensuring equity.

1. Progress on the health-related SDGs and targets
in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 2020
Dr Arash Rashidian
Director, Science, Information and Dissemination
Panel discussion on “A decade of action on the Sustainable Development
Goals in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: progress, challenges and way
forward”
12 October 2021

2. Progress in the health-related SDGs and targets in the
Region, 2020
Purpose
• Presents progress on health-
related SDGs
• Complements the regional
health profile
• Serves as an advocacy tool for
policy-makers
• Serves as a baseline and early
progress measure for the
health-related SDG
targets/indicators

3. SDG targets and indicators
The report covers 50
health-related SDG
targets and indicators
Risks to health Health determinants

4. Methodology
Sources of data
• Main source: WHO regional core health indicators
• Additional sources: UN/Global estimates
• Data sources validated by technical departments
Methods
• Computes population weighted means using data from
2019 Revision of World Population Prospects
• Shows trends over time using available data from
January 2010–September 2020

5. Report overview (50 fact sheets)
• Goal
• Target
• Indicator(s)
• Current situation/trends
• Key message(s)
• Challenges
• Steps for accelerated action
• Available guidance/tools

6. Key findings: Progress in over half the indicators (28/50) between 2015 and 2019
SOME PROGRESS (21/50 indicators)
Fewer children are malnourished
Wasting among children under 5
dropped from 7.5% to 3.8%
Maintained high proportion of births
attended by skilled health personnel (98
to 99%)
Some improvement in vaccination
• DTP3: 80 to 82%
• MCV2: 68 to 75%
• PCV3: 50 to 52%
Notable increase in health care personnel
per 10 000 population
• Nurses: 20 to 33
• Physicians: 14.2 to 18.2
SLOW PROGRESS (7/50 indicators)
Child mortality rate (Target: < 25/1000 live births)
• 2015: 52
• 2019: 46
Neonatal mortality rate (Target: < 12/1000 live births)
• 2015: 27
• 2019: 25
Health service coverage index (Target: 80+)
• 2015: 53
• 2017: 57
Access to improved drinking water and sanitation facilities:
• 246 million people in the Region lack basic sanitation
facilities (majority living in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia,
Sudan and Yemen)
• 62 million people in the same countries lack basic drinking
water services

7. Despite some
progress:
• Still a long way to go in reducing
maternal, child and neonatal
mortality
• Vaccination coverage remains
suboptimal
• Reduction in HIV and malaria
cases has stalled
• Mortality rates due to NCDs and
pollution have not not reduced
Suicide mortality
Financial protection of health services
Availability of essential medicines in local health
facilities
Determinants of health, e.g. poverty, education,
conflict-related deaths and gender equality
Mean levels of fine particulate matter in cities
IHR capacity and health emergency preparedness
Prevalence of hepatitis B among children under-5
Trends not available for more
than 1 in 4 indicators:
Suicide mortality
Financial protection of health services

8. Five key challenges
towards achieving SDGs
in the Region have been
identified by the report

9. 1. Weak
governance
• In addressing
communicable
diseases, NCD
prevention, traffic
accidents and risk
factors for health
• Limited investment in
health, including high
donor dependency for
specific communicable
diseases
• Limited implementation
of regulatory measures
to mitigate the impact
of climate change

10. 2. Fragmented health care services
• Wide variability in accessibility and quality of care between
countries of the Region
• Suboptimal health workforce production and imbalanced
skills mix and geographical distribution

11. 3. Limited data availability
• Multiplicity and fragmentation of data
• Large data gaps
• Limited data disaggregation by
gender, age, place of residence
• Lack of national plans to guide the
implementation of national surveys
and epidemiological studies to inform
policy-making

12. 4. Impact of emergencies, including the COVID-19
pandemic, and fragile and humanitarian settings, on
population health
• Most countries experiencing humanitarian crises
• Wars and conflicts
• Natural and environmental disasters
• COVID-19 pandemic
• Interrupted health service delivery
• Limited access to water and sanitation
• Violence and poverty

13. 5. Gender equality and health disparities
• Structural and sociocultural barriers
to gender equality
• Women’s decision-making power about
their own health
• Limited access to health services
• Increased risk of violence
• Large health disparities between and
within countries

14. Way forward
Strengthen
government
leadership and
functions
•Improve good
governance of SDGs
(e.g. collaborative
structures)
Ensure sustainable
financial investments in
health
Strengthen the
leadership role of the
health sector for
multisectoral action
Expand access to
health services
Promote universal
health coverage
Institutionalize
systems of patient
safety, quality, audit
and surveillance
Invest in building
appropriately
skilled health
professional
workforce
Promote intersectoral
collaboration and
health in all policies
Collaborate with
partners for
multisectoral action
through the health-in-
all-policies approach
•Strengthen community
engagement and
health literacy to
empower individuals to
care for themselves and
families
Invest in health
information systems
Strengthen integrated
disease surveillance
systems to improve
quality of mortality
data
Sustainable capacity
for HIS strengthening
Statistical capacity;
promote data-
sharing; increase
availability
disaggregated data
Ensure a gender- and
equity-sensitive
response
Strengthen health
systems and
research capacity
Women
empowerment
(decision-making
on their own health)
Ensure data
disaggregation by
age, sex, place of
residence and
others to reduce
health inequalities