Yesterday Margaret Chan, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), opened the WHO board meeting with a challenge.

“Few will disagree with my statement,” she said. “Our world is in very bad shape.”

Chan pointed to a stark statistic from 2011 that suggests that health conditions in the developed world could be worsening. A report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development concluded that in wealthy nations, the difference between the richest and the poorest people is greater than it has been in 25 years. The report also found that income inequality leads to health consequences regardless of the levels of spending on health.

“Money alone does not buy better health,” said Chan. “Good policies that promote equity have a better chance.”

Chan did have some good news to share with her public health colleagues. In contrast to the situation in more wealthy nations, the developing world is doing more to help their lower class.  This has contributed to a measurable decline in the number of people suffering from diseases of the poor. For example, the number of child deaths in 2010 was 7.6 million, a 40% drop since 1990.

Chan also applauded efforts to control the neglected tropical diseases. “These ancient companions of poverty could actually be eliminated in the near future,” she said.

To read the full speech, follow this link.