Evaluate the effectiveness of WHO's health lens approach in achieving comprehensive health outcomes through the SDGs. (8 marks)
--- 22 WORK AREA LINES (style=lined) ---
Show Answers Only
Evaluation Statement
- WHO’s health lens approach is partially effective in achieving comprehensive health outcomes through SDGs.
- This evaluation is based on multi-sector integration success and implementation feasibility challenges.
Multi-sector Integration Success
- WHO’s health lens approach views health not just as a medical issue but as an outcome influenced by all sectors of society that requires coordinated action.
- The approach strongly meets the need for addressing health’s root causes through collaboration.
- Comprehensive health outcomes require healthcare (SDG 3), education (SDG 4), workplaces (SDG 8) and urban planning (SDG 11) working together. For example, coronary heart disease prevention shows superior outcomes when all sectors contribute simultaneously.
- Likewise, healthcare connects with SDG 6 (clean water) to reduce waterborne diseases and integrated approaches that address poverty reduction (SDG 1) produce significantly better health outcomes.
Implementation Feasibility
- Getting different sectors to work together only partly meets real-world needs.
- Health, education and other sectors work on different schedules when implementing SDGs.
- It’s hard to measure how non-health programs actually improve health. Results take years to show up, making partners lose patience.
- The highly integrated approach works well on paper but struggles particularly in resource poor countries.
- In fact, high costs prevent all countries from implementing all 17 SDGs effectively.
Final Evaluation
- Weighing these factors shows WHO’s health lens achieves moderate effectiveness.
- WHO’s approach shows strengths in comprehensive improvement which mitigates coordination difficulties.
- Although effective for well-resourced nations pursuing multiple SDGs, it is less suitable for developing nations.
- Implications suggest countries should adjust the approach to match their resources while still keeping different sectors working together on SDGs.
Show Worked Solution
Evaluation Statement
- WHO’s health lens approach is partially effective in achieving comprehensive health outcomes through SDGs.
- This evaluation is based on multi-sector integration success and implementation feasibility challenges.
Multi-sector Integration Success
- WHO’s health lens approach views health not just as a medical issue but as an outcome influenced by all sectors of society that requires coordinated action.
- The approach strongly meets the need for addressing health’s root causes through collaboration.
- Comprehensive health outcomes require healthcare (SDG 3), education (SDG 4), workplaces (SDG 8) and urban planning (SDG 11) working together. For example, coronary heart disease prevention shows superior outcomes when all sectors contribute simultaneously.
- Likewise, healthcare connects with SDG 6 (clean water) to reduce waterborne diseases and integrated approaches that address poverty reduction (SDG 1) produce significantly better health outcomes.
Implementation Feasibility
- Getting different sectors to work together only partly meets real-world needs.
- Health, education and other sectors work on different schedules when implementing SDGs.
- It’s hard to measure how non-health programs actually improve health. Results take years to show up, making partners lose patience.
- The highly integrated approach works well on paper but struggles particularly in resource poor countries.
- In fact, high costs prevent all countries from implementing all 17 SDGs effectively.
Final Evaluation
- Weighing these factors shows WHO’s health lens achieves moderate effectiveness.
- WHO’s approach shows strengths in comprehensive improvement which mitigates coordination difficulties.
- Although effective for well-resourced nations pursuing multiple SDGs, it is less suitable for developing nations.
- Implications suggest countries should adjust the approach to match their resources while still keeping different sectors working together on SDGs.