The health objectives of the United Nations' millennium development goals will not be achieved by 2015 unless investments in national health systems are “dramatically increased” and many more doctors, nurses, midwives, and other health professionals are made available. That is the warning from the World Health Organization in its latest report evaluating progress towards the goals.

The 82 page report says that unless these goals are met “large numbers of people will continue to die of mostly preventable diseases.”

It says that among the “annual avoidable deaths in developing countries will be those of 10.6 million …