1. Global Health is fashionable. It can be called fashionable because it is always in style.

It is
always in the middle of the spotlight of the media, governments, major health organizations,
and event philanthropists. Although with the high amount of publicity from several sources,
Global Health in and of itself is rarely defined. So what is the definition of Global Health?
2. Global Health itself can be thought of as a notion, an objective or a mission, or even a mix of
scholarly and research practice. One thing is clear though, if the definition of Global Health
cannot be discerned clearly, then it will become obscure and will heighten the indecisiveness
of strategies and policies between physicians, health policy makers, and even the
government.
3. Global Health is often confused with Public Health. Of course, there are a few similarities
between the two, but it is wise to understand the definition of Public Health beforehand. The
best definition of Public Health was made by Winslow almost 90 years ago when he said:
“The science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting
health and efficiency through organized community effort for the
sanitation of the environment, the control of communicable infections, the
education of the individual in personal hygiene, the organization of
medical and nursing services for the early diagnosis and preventive
treatment of disease, and for the development of the social machinery to
insure everyone a standard of living adequate for the maintenance of
health, so organizing these benefits as to enable every citizen to realize his
birthright of health and longevity.”

4. First off to understand global health, we need to understand the meaning of the word
“Global”. What is Global? Global in Global Health refers to any and all health issues that
concerns many countries or is affected by transnational determinants, such as climate change
and urbanization, or solutions, such as polio eradication.
5. Is global health mainly directed to infectious disease and maternal and child health issues or
does it also address issues such as chronic diseases, injuries, mental health, and the
environment? Although issues of communicable diseases and maternal and child health has
become a mainstay topic for Global Health, Global Health itself need to encompass a wider
berth of topics to be able to be effective. Simultaneous efforts need to be expanded over
issues such as undernutrition and overnutrition, HIV/AIDS and tobacco consumption, mental
health and deaths due to motor accidents.
6. How does Global Health relate to globalization? The spread of disease due to trade and
commerce, and also the conquest of nations is hardly a new aspect in Global Health. Ever
since the 14th Century, where ships from Asia carry diseases and plague unto Europe;
Quarantine is developed in early 14th Century Venice; Explorers taking tobacco from the
Americas to Europe that leads to premature death; The rapid spread and increase of travel
and communication around the globe has led to a new level of global interconnectedness or
globalization.
7. The search for equity has been a long-standing factor not only in Global Health, but also in
Public Health. Must global health operate only within a context of a goal of social/economic
equity? Many countries around the world, that continuous to live without sufficient resources
has always needed a few hands in promoting their own health and in reducing health
disparities. Although these efforts are not understandable, it does not discern the nature of
Global Health more clearly.