40 years after Alma-Ata: What does the future hold?

Can an event which occurred in the last century – more precisely, 40 years ago – still retain the strength to influence us today? Yes! The Alma-Ata Declaration of 1978 was a pivotal event which has played a decisive role in the health policy debates of the last four decades. Around 40 years ago, the crucial questions were posed: why are we failing to give everyone access to the benefits of modern medicine? What is going so wrong, that the health situation of populations in some areas is hardly improving at all? Alma-Ata also delivered the key answer that the realisation of the right to health requires committed political action on all levels, and not just in the health sector. Where do we stand 40 years on? What awaits us in the anniversary year? Does Agenda 2030 deliver the framework missing up to this point for us to reach our common goal of “Health for All” by 2030? This edition of the MMS Bulletin attempts to answer some of these questions. Photo: Community engagement: A village meeting on Ebola. The elders and religious clerics listen to Dr Sakoba Keita, coordinator of the Guinean Ebola Response © WHO/S. Hawkey)