Marcos Cueto, HCSM scientific editor.
The letter of the editor of the lastest issue of HCS-Manguinho’s (vol.22 n.1 Jan/Mar 2015), written by the journal’s scientific editor Marcos Cueto, calls our attention to the need of examining carefully the policies currently in play in global health. This year, 2015, says Cueto, is crucial for criticism, renovation or alteration of the so-called “Millennium development goals” – three of which were directly related to health: reducing child mortality, significantly improving maternal health and radically combatting HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.
As stated by Cueto, although it is unclear how the process of renewal of the MDG will be negotiated, there is a danger of reverting to a recurrent pattern in the history of international public health, namely changing the goal when difficulties are encountered.
The historian argues that it is important to aspire to an inclusive process in developing or reworking the new goals that will give them greater flexibility, sustainability, local participation and empowerment.
According to Cueto, “We have the right to imagine that an inclusive process will cause the collapse of the schizophrenic policy of governments in poor and medium-income nations, which have introduced structural economic adjustment measures in recent decades that increased poverty and, at the same time, have approved health policies to alleviate poverty. ”
See the full summary of HCS-Manguinhos latest issue.
