Summary (English)

Each country in the ESCAP region faces specific challenges in its quest to achieve the health-related MDGs. These challenges can only be met by adopting a comprehensive health systems approach to deliver universal coverage of a minimum package of health services and by addressing the determinants of health that lie beyond the direct purview of the health sector. Given the interconnected nature of the MDGs, it is essential to develop and implement strategies and policies recognizing the significance of the social determinants of health and the multiplicity of sectors affecting health.