The key to curbing early deaths

A head of the 2024 World Health Summit in which the World Health Organization (WHO) is a partner, a new report by the Lancet Commission on 'Investing in Health' has set a goal of cutting the probability of premature deaths around the world in half by 2050.

Seven of the 30 most populous countries, including Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Iran, and Turkiye, are on track to meeting the "ambitious," yet "feasible" goal, which the report's authors have called '50-by-50'. The international team includes authors from institutions such as Harvard University's School of Public Health, the WHO, and Public Health Foundation of India, New Delhi.

They explained that on average, a 2019-born person had a 31% chance of dying before turning 70 years of age. If the 50-by-50 goal was achieved globally, a 2050-born individual can expect to have only a 15% chance of dying before turning 70, they said. The authors said that the gains made by the seven countries in slashing chances of early death can be achieved early on the route to providing full universal health coverage.