More than 2,000 public health enthusiasts and professionals attended this year’s Unite for Sight Conference at Yale University. I was fortunate to be one of them and hear presentations from over 200 speakers representing all disciplines of global health, social entrepreneurship, international development and innovation.

Keynote Speaker Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, gave a compelling and thoughtful speech on the progress we are making toward reaching the Millennium Development Goals of 2015. “This has been a decade of remarkable progress,” Sachs said, adding “several things have come together […] we have the fulcrum to make the MDGs a huge success!” 

The “things” that have come together, according to Sachs, are the technological advancements for disease control and prevention, as well as the widespread use of mobile phones and the Internet; improvements in the design of health systems; and the global processes underway that did not exist ten years ago. For example, we now have the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the GAVI Alliance, the Global Network on Tropical disease, PEPFAR, and the PMI. These elements have come together and saved countless lives in the last decade; however, what is still lacking is the financial mechanism, development assistance, and effective partnerships set forth in the MDG #8.

So how much would it cost to extend health care for all? To address the main challenges we face today, Sachs estimates that it would cost about $50-$60 per person annually (we are currently providing $13-$15 per person annually in development assistance). Sachs notes that the gap is about $35 per person which equates to about $35 billion annually for one billion people. Sachs says the answer isn’t to just hand out money to countries, but to follow the “tough love” approach of the Global Fund and GAVI. Both initiatives invite the countries to make a country-specific plan that is evaluated by a technical review panel, and if it passes, money is given and monitored to make sure it is properly used.

It’s not all about money, though. We all strive for similar goals in our work and sometimes what we do resonates and overlaps with what others are doing. To reduce the duplication of effort, we need to work together more efficiently and share information and experiences. Knowledge management strategies can help us make better use of our funds and time.

We have made significant gains in the last decade, including decreases in maternal mortality, infant mortality, and an increase in uptake of antiretroviral drugs, to name a few. Now it’s time to bring our wisdom and experiences together – the science, the technology, and the global commitment – to build upon our partnerships and increase our collaboration. Cultivating the “things” Sachs discussed will help us achieve the MDGs, but building on the gaps that exist will ultimately be the recipe for global success.