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In a bold new initiative, the Lancet Commission on Investing in Health (CIH) has laid out a comprehensive plan to reduce premature deaths by 50% by 2050. This ambitious target, known as the “50 by 50” goal, focuses on significantly lowering the probability of death before the age of 70, offering a roadmap that could dramatically improve global health outcomes.
The findings, compiled by 50 leading experts, will be presented at the World Health Summit in Berlin on October 15, 2024. Among the key contributors are six researchers from the Bergen Centre for Ethics and Priority Setting in Health (BCEPS), a Norwegian Centre of Excellence based at the University of Bergen, Norway. Prominent names include BCEPS Director and Professor Ole Frithjof Norheim, BCEPS PhD Research Fellow Sarah Bolongaita, and affiliated scholars from top institutions such as Harvard University, the University of California, San Francisco, and the University of Washington.
The CIH report, which will be publicly available online, emphasizes tackling 15 priority health conditions. Eight of these are tied to infectious diseases and maternal health, while the remaining seven focus on non-communicable diseases and injuries. By scaling up services and investments in these areas, experts argue that significant reductions in premature deaths are achievable.
A key takeaway from the report is the impact of fiscal policy on health outcomes. Raising taxes on tobacco, for instance, is identified as one of the most effective measures to reduce premature mortality globally. The authors stress that while technological and healthcare interventions are vital, the power of public health policies, such as tobacco control, cannot be overstated.
Pandemic preparedness also features prominently in the report. The authors estimate a greater than 20% chance of a pandemic causing at least 25 million deaths within the next decade—similar to the scale of the COVID-19 pandemic. Strengthening global preparedness and response to pandemics is therefore seen as a critical component of reducing premature mortality.
The “Global Health 2050” report offers actionable strategies for countries across the income spectrum to improve health outcomes by 2050, ultimately aiming to enhance life expectancy and human welfare worldwide.
For more details, the public can access the report at Global Health 2050 and watch the presentation at the World Health Summit online at YouTube on October 15, 2024, from 4 pm to 5:30 pm CET.
Journal Reference:
Jamison, D. T., et al. (2024). Global health 2050: the path to halving premature death by mid-century. The Lancet. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)01439-9.
Source: University of Bergen
