During the 20th century, technological progress has globally enabled, people to have a life expectancy almost 20 years higher than it was in 1950. However health, declared by international organizations as a universal right, is for many people a privilege which is difficult to attain:
· Every year more than 11 million children under five die of preventable diseases.
· Every year half a million women die during pregnancy and childbirth.
· In 2004, 5 million people were infected by HIV/AIDS and 3 million people died.
· 2,000 million people still don't have access to essential drugs.
International organizations, NGOs and other institutions have launched some initiatives to advance in the right to health. The last one, and probably the most ambitious, is the Millennium Development Goals, a United Nations initiative underwritten by the majority of the world's governments to fight poverty, hunger and disease.
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