Introduction
The prioritisation of specific issues in global health policy-making is a complex and often, unpredictable, process. Need, discourse, funding, and a number of other factors influence the prominence an issue takes in the policy arena. Here, it is proposed that funding is the main driver of global health policy priorities coupled with the interests of key donors and constraints on their actions. It is further argued that the control funding bodies hold over policy priorities can be detrimental when their interests do not reflect global health needs. To demonstrate this, the prioritisation of Health Systems Strengthening (HSS) in global health policy-making will be considered using the Kingdon model of agenda-setting (1). HSS,
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While traditionally a national policy domain, the financial and technical assistance of global health players can be crucial to facilitating HSS efforts particularly in the fragile health systems in some developing countries (7).
Over the last decade and a half, the global health community have increasingly focussed their attention to HSS. WHO, the World Bank, the G8, a number of global health initiatives (GHIs) and private foundations have participated in discourse on HSS and, in some cases, have committed substantial financial resources specifically to its cause (2). Despite this, the proportion of donor funding to HSS out of total funding for health and population decreased dramatically from 64% to 28% between 1998 and 2009 while single-disease or disease group initiatives received greater commitments (2). HSS has not attained the large-scale dedication that HIV/AIDs, and infectious disease in general have through GHIs such as PEPFAR, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) and The Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunization (GAVI); most funding directed towards HSS is restricted to the particular, usually disease-specific priorities of the donors (8).
Here, the main drivers behind global
This essay would inquire in to the impact of global health actors on Health Policies in the Republic of Ghana highlighting the World Trade Organization, The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund as reference points.
This paper will step out of the comfort of the first world American lifestyle and look beyond to the health and social issues around the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) is the leading stakeholder in advancing the awareness and support on global health issues along with the United Nations (UN) and other governmental and nongovernmental agencies. Only once the issues of these vulnerable people are identified can these organizations move forward in addressing and prioritizing the rapidly evolving global health agenda. The Millennium Development Goals will be defined briefly, however, since their goal completion date has ended, a future look at follow on program, Sustainable Development Goals seems the best place
With the focus on these five areas, Governments in each country are creating health systems that aim to provide services that are affordable, equitable and accessible. To achieve a sustainable health system, cooperation and participation of all health care providers is vital. This will work towards WHO’s goal of achieving “better health for all”
In a medically savaged developing country when there is a sudden influx of scarce resources, whom of the inflicted and in need shall be the beneficiary? The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care....” (Skolnik, 2016). Poverty stricken countries caught up in a labyrinth of illness are unable to deliver the correct care their inhabitants necessitate. Richard Skolnik in “Global Health 101” identifies four basic ethical principles underlying most scarce resource allocation schemes as: 1) health maximization; 2) equality; 3) priority to the worst off and 4) personal responsibility.
There is no universal fix to the complexities of each country and what they face with regards to their health care needs. Health care is a fundamental need among all peoples. Each country will have to work on solving the disparities that exist in access of care, funding of care, and availability of care. Because we now find ourselves facing the dilemma of fighting many infectious diseases once thought to be under control, we must work with all countries around the world. Every country faces the potential of an outbreak of a disease like SARS or a terrorism strike involving biological or chemical agents. Global initiatives to improve the health of nations across the board regardless of resources in these nations will benefit all. We need to continue with consistent and comprehensive measures to ensure health equity to all (Williams & Torrens, 2010).
Transparency is needed because everyone should have access to essential health information. Participation from the community is a component because everyone is a stakeholder. Hunt and Backman also stress equity, equality, and non-discrimination because health systems must be accessible to everyone and protected by the law. They also argue that health committee members must show respect for cultural differences. Medical care is one crucial component of a health system, but covering health determinants is equally critical in Hunt and Backman’s framework. They also cover the need for progressive realization to implement health systems effectively and account for resource accessibility. However, Hunt and Backman state that distinct from the progressive realization component are “duties of immediate effect” which requires that a list of minimum essentials be guaranteed and minimum baskets of health services for each country are adopted (84-85). There must be quality of care, and access to preventive care and effective referral systems. All health care participants should coordinate health care at the international, national, and departmental levels. There should be international cooperation in the control of infectious diseases, distribution of health findings, and international regulatory plans. Participants must cover balances between resources and rights conflicts and should fairly resolve by considering the viewpoint of the least powerful participant. Last,
c. Pick a team; because most policy procedure documents are sometimes used by various groups a policy developer need to get experts who are specialized and will prepare a well-informed policy (Association of college and university policy administrators, n.d).
Global health issue can be defined as health problems, issues, and concerning subjects that transcend international boundaries and are addressed by cooperative, multidisciplinary approached actions and solutions (Macfarlane, Jacobs, & Kaaya, 2008). Health issue shifts to a global health issue when a concerning subject inclines to influence global population (Koplan et al., 2009). Health issues need multidisciplinary approach in order to create care plan that fits for that population before it inclines to global health issue (Marusic, 2013. In situations where health issues as inclined to global health issues, it still needs multidisciplinary approach to create global care plan. Multidisciplinary approach many include international
One major health issue is the presence malaria in developing countries which affects half the world’s population in the poorest parts of the world. It is estimated that more than 3,000 children die from malaria every day. The UN, with the help of World Health Organization, launched the Rock Back Malaria Initiative in 1998, which is movement to improve the lives in those places and prevent the disease overall. A foundation Nothing but Nets was created by the UN to raise money and awareness for the cause. Sponsorships from big associations like the Major League Soccer, and the National Basketball Association and Junior Chamber International helped raise $35 million dollars and helped distribute to over 25 countries in Africa (Preventing Malaria Deaths). Yet international relations can also help countries understand diseases in their own country. I conducted an interview with Saba Danwala, an international health analyst at the US Department of Health and Human Services, who deals with working with developing countries analyzing the affections of infectious disease. She mentions that “International relations has a greater part to play [in a world with so much information] I see this for countries wanting to improve their health systems, for instance. The diplomats who speak to the higher powers in these countries can sway a president, for
This reflective essay is about a 2013 survey of Americans on the United States roles in global health. The survey article focuses on properties for U.S. in world affairs, priorities in global health, views of U.S. spending on foreign aid and effort to improve health in developing counties, caveats to support the current level of U.S. spending on global health, and the visibility of global health issues and sources of information. (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2013) I feel like this survey is important to analyze because it shows to what degree the U.S. actually aides the other countries and the views of the American citizens.
I define global health as an interdisciplinary field determined by research and the application of health initiatives, which prioritize both the improvement of medicinal health, as well as advancements in global health equity. In the years since the fields inception, great strides have been made to improve global health. One of these strides includes the decline in mortality attributed to measles. During 2000-2014, measles vaccination prevented an estimated 17.1 million deaths worldwide (WHO, 2016). This number alone demonstrates the effectiveness of vaccines and strategies implemented to combat measles. However, even in light of the great strides which have been made, vulnerable populations still continue to die from measles every day. When considering the existence of an effective and cost-efficient vaccine, these deaths become even more shocking and senseless. Upon further research, I discovered that women and children in certain developing African and Asian countries suffer most from measles, likely due to challenges consisting of an inability to sustain progress or fully implement control strategies, and that numerous global health initiatives have been enacted to combat the continued spread of the disease.
The agenda setting has ability to influence the decisions or issues on public agenda. Agenda setting is first step to initiate the health policy making process by deciding the decisions about policy formulation. This step includes three activities are- problems, possible solutions to the problems and political circumstances. According to king dons conceptualization, when all these three activities flow equally then for law "window of opportunity" opens. So this helps for development
Question 3. Present a critical case study of evidence based/informed health policy making. In doing this, you will want to explain what the policy was, and what body of evidence was drawn upon or seen as relevant. Then you should explore the political aspects of the policy. If there was contestation over evidence (such as which evidence was used, what was seen as important, or how to interpret evidence), you can explain the views of the opposed groups, and the roles of different institutions or processes, which led to the final outcome.
One factor to take into consideration when comparing and contrasting global health care issues is at what rate our countries increasing by in their populations and how healthy the country is living. When doing a comparison including the following, USA, UK, and Canada, the US has steadily been first, then Canada and then the UK. The US has also spent the most money on health care, with Canada coming in second and the UK coming in third, but the US has come in dead last between the three, with UK second and Canada first for the duration of a human life span.
Thus, finding methods of educating people, and providing medical aid for these preventable diseases can avoid many deaths. Second reason for attending global health issue is for balancing resources. According to The Lancet Journal, ninety percent of the world’s health care resources are spent on diseases that affect only ten percent of the world’s population. (Norris, 2009) Therefore, ensuring that resources are evenly distributed throughout the world would assist to limit the diseases from spreading from country to country. Third, global health can influence Canadians indirectly such as, the increase of diseases. Some of these diseases becoming more prevalent is HIV/AIDS, malaria, and TB and are increasing poverty and political instability within countries. (Worldwide HIV & AIDS Statistics, 2009) Thus, global health should be a concern because it can help prevent civil conflict in other countries. (Worldwide HIV & AIDS Statistics, 2009) Fourth, global health should be a concern across all nations as there is more contact amongst people because of globalization diseases occurs at a faster rate. Globalization is defined as a modern phenomenon process by which countries and peoples are increasingly interconnected, integrated, and interdependent that occurred over centuries. (Andrews, 2010) Since the world is increasingly becoming interconnected, diseases can travel from nation to nation and it can cause