Millions Saved

Millions Saved: Proven Successes in Global Health (Millions Saved for short) is an initiative of the Center for Global Development, a think tank based in Washington D.C. in the United States of America, whose goal is to collect success stories in global health, i.e., large-scale efforts to improve health in developing countries that have succeeded.[1] The initiative began in 2004.

The initiative involves a periodically revised book (two editions have been published as of 2013 and work is currently under way for a third edition)[1] as well as supplementary materials available on the website.[1]

People involved

Team

The Millions Saved project is handled by the "What Works Working Group" at the Center for Global Development. Prominent team members are Amanda Glassman, Ruth Levine, and William Savedoff.[1]

Collaborators

The project was undertaken in collaboration with the Disease Control Priorities Project and the National Institutes of Health.[2]

Case studies

The following is the list of case studies discussed in the Millions Saved book:[3]

No. Case type Geographic area Time period (approximate)
1 Smallpox eradication Worldwide[4] 1967-1979
2 Preventing HIV and sexually transmitted diseases Thailand[5] 1998-2001
3 Control of tuberculosis China[6] 1991 onward (progress measured 1990-2000)
4 Reducing child mortality through Vitamin A Nepal[7] 1993 onward (progress measured 1995-2000)
5 Regional elimination of polio Latin America and the Caribbean[8] 1977-1991
6 Saving mothers' lives Sri Lanka[9] 1950s onward
7 Controlling onchocerciasis sub-Saharan Africa[10] 1974 (progress measured 1974-1992)
8 Preventing diarrheal deaths Egypt[11] Started about 1977, progress measured 1982-1987
9 Improving the health of the poor Mexico[12]
10 Controlling trachoma Morocco[13] 1991 onward, progress measured since 1997
11 Reducing guinea worm disease Asia and sub-Saharan Africa[14] 1986 onward (progress measured 1986-1998 and then again in 2005)
12 Controlling Chagas disease The southern cone of South America[15] 1991 onward
13 Reducing fertility Bangladesh[16] 1970s onward (progress measured continuously)
14 Curbing tobacco use Poland[17] 1995 onward
15 Preventing iodine deficiency disease China[18] 1993 onward (progress measured in 1999)
16 Preventing neural tube defects Chile[19] 2000 onward
17 Regional elimination of measles southern Africa[20] 1996-2000
18 Preventing dental caries Jamaica[21] 1987 onward (progress measured in 1995)
19 Treating cataracts India[22] 1994 onward, progress measured 1999-2002
20 Preventing Hib disease Chile and the Gambia[23] 1996 onward (Chile), 1997 onward (Gambia)

Elements of success

The project lists the following common elements of success:[24]

Conclusions

The conclusions page on the website lists seven major conclusions:[25]

  1. Major health interventions have worked even in the poorest countries.
  2. Donor funding has saved lives.
  3. Saving lives saves money.
  4. Partnership is powerful.
  5. National governments can get the job done.
  6. Health behaviors can be changed.
  7. Successful programs take many forms.

Reception

GiveWell

In November 2010, charity evaluator GiveWell published a document about its charity evaluation criteria. The document listed Millions Saved as its primary source of information on successes in public health interventions.[26]

In April 2013, GiveWell, as part of its "History of Philanthropy" project, participated in a discussion with Amanda Glassman (part of the Millions Saved team) and Kate McQueston, and the conversation included some discussion of the next edition of Millions Saved. Notes of the conversation were published on GiveWell's website.[27]

In June 2013, GiveWell announced that partner organization Good Ventures would, on GiveWell's recommendation, donate $50,000 USD to Millions Saved to facilitate work on the third edition of the book.[28]

Others

The release of Millions Saved was noted on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation website.[29]

Writing for the New York Review of Books, Nicholas Kristof reviewed Millions Saved along with books by William Easterly, Jeff Sachs, Robert Calderisi, and others. Kristof viewed Millions Saved as a source of optimism about the possibility of aid working, in contrast with the relatively pessimistic message of the books by Easterly and Calderisi.[30]

Alanna Shaikh included Millions Saved in her international development bibliography.[31] Brett Keller praised Millions Saved as a way of overcoming the problem that "when public health works, it is invisible."[32] Responding to William Easterly in a Cato Unbound exchange on the effectiveness of aid, Steve Radelet cited Millions Saved to argue that aid could have a huge positive effect.[33]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Millions Saved". Center for Global Development. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  2. ↑ "Millions Saved: Overview". Center for Global Development. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  3. ↑ "Millions Saved: Case Studies". Center for Global Development. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  4. ↑ "Case 1: Eradicating Smallpox". Center for Global Development. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  5. ↑ "Preventing HIV and sexually transmitted infections in Thailand". Center for Global Development. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  6. ↑ "CASE 3: Controlling tuberculosis in China". Center for Global Development. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  7. ↑ "CASE 4: Reducing child mortality through vitamin A in Nepal". Center for Global Development. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  8. ↑ "CASE 5: Eliminating polio in Latin America and the Caribbean". Center for Global Development. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  9. ↑ "CASE 6: Saving mothers' lives in Sri Lanka". Center for Global Development. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  10. ↑ "CASE 7: Controlling onchocerciasis in sub-Saharan Africa". Center for Global Development. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  11. ↑ "CASE 8: Preventing diarrheal deaths in Egypt". Center for Global Development. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  12. ↑ "CASE 9: Improving the health of the poor in Mexico". Center for Global Development. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  13. ↑ "CASE 10: Controlling trachoma in Morocco". Center for Global Development. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  14. ↑ "CASE 11: Reducing guinea worm in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa". Center for Global Development. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  15. ↑ "CASE 12: Controlling Chagas disease in the southern cone of South America". Center for Global Development. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  16. ↑ "CASE 13: Reducing fertility in Bangladesh". Center for Global Development. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  17. ↑ "CASE 14: Curbing tobacco use in Poland". Center for Global Development. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  18. ↑ "CASE 15: Preventing iodine deficiency disease in China". Center for Global Development. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  19. ↑ "CASE 16: Prevention of Neural-Tube Defects in Chile". Center for Global Development. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  20. ↑ "CASE 17: Eliminating measles in southern Africa". Center for Global Development. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  21. ↑ "CASE 18: Preventing Dental Caries in Jamaica". Center for Global Development. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  22. ↑ "CASE 19: Treating cataracts in India". Center for Global Development. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  23. ↑ "CASE 20: Preventing Hib disease in Chile and the Gambia". Center for Global Development. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  24. ↑ "Millions Saved: Elements of Success". Center for Global Development. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  25. ↑ "Millions Saved: Conclusions". Center for Global Development. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  26. ↑ "Criteria for evaluating programs". GiveWell. November 2010. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  27. ↑ "Conversation between GiveWell and Center for Global Development on 4/10/13" (PDF). GiveWell. 2013-04-10. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  28. ↑ "Center for Global Development, Millions Saved Project". GiveWell. June 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  29. ↑ "New Book Identifies Common Elements of Success in Large Global Health Programs.". Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. December 2004. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  30. ↑ Kristof, Nicholas (2006-10-05). "Aid: Can It Work?". Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  31. ↑ Shaikh, Alanna (2009-05-02). "International Development – a bibliography". Blood and Milk. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  32. ↑ Keller, Brett (2013-04-22). "When public health works, it's invisible". Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  33. ↑ Radelet, Steve (2006-04-09). "Evidence Beats Rhetoric, Every Time". Retrieved 2013-07-05.

External links

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