The COVID-19 pandemic hit low-income countries harder than wealthier nations, according to a new study in PLOS One, further slowing progress toward health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
On average, the pandemic caused low-income countries to experience an average progress loss of 16.5% across all health indicators, whereas high-income countries have seen losses as low as 3%, the authors said.
The SDGs were developed in 2015 and adopted by the United Nations as a way to tackle both global poverty and the challenges of climate change. SDG 3 is “good health and well-being” and encompasses several indicators of a nation’s health, including controlling infectious diseases and protecting maternal health.
The authors said 2021 was the first year since their creation that SDGs had a marked decline in progress. To understand the pandemic’s effects, the authors created a model for 185 countries to assess SDG goals in 2030 based on trends seen since 2020.
The model takes into account the International Monetary Fund’s pre-COVID annual growth estimates for each country and compares them to growth estimates after 2021.
Average economic growth losses after 2020 are 42% and 28% for low– and lower–middle-income countries and 15% and 7% in high– and upper–middle-income countries, the authors found.
Downstream effects of pandemic seen in poorer countries
Interestingly, though high-income countries saw the biggest number of COVID-related deaths and illnesses, low- and middle-income countries have seen more downstream poor health outcomes in the wake of the pandemic, including decreased childhood immunization coverage and impoverishing out-of-pocket healthcare expenses.
In middle-income countries, the authors found the most losses in SDG indicators of other infectious diseases. In lower-income countries, losses of 10% or more were seen with maternal-fetal health and environmental risks.
High-income countries saw the most post-pandemic losses in noncommunicable diseases, injuries, and violence.
"The most significant losses are concentrated in Africa, the Middle East, Southern Asia, and Latin America. Positive results due to upward revisions are evident in Northern Africa (Libya and Sudan), Iran, Eastern Europe, among others," the authors wrote.
The most significant losses are concentrated in Africa, the Middle East, Southern Asia, and Latin America.
The authors concluded that future measurements of SDGs are needed.
"The study’s findings have significant implications for international public health policy. To mitigate worldwide disparities in health, international cooperation and targeted support are crucial to strengthen healthcare systems in low-income countries and ensure equitable progress towards a healthier future for all," they wrote.
