Quarter III addressing each and everyone.

All of them influence, affect and depend on better global

health programs and policies.
Health Trends, Issues, and Concerns (Global Level)
1. Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger
Introduction
Developing countries particularly in Africa and Asia suffer from extreme
For its central role in global affairs, health issues are among the priority concerns of poverty and hunger. Poverty and hunger lead to severe malnutrition which leads to
the United Nations. It thus designated the world Health Organization to serve as the lead lifelong physical and cognitive (learning and reasoning) damage and affects health,
agency tasked to direct and coordinate with all member nations regarding leadership, well-being and the economy. Some key suggestions to eradicate poverty and hunger
supervision, technical support and education on matters about health, which affects many are:
countries – including the Philippines. • Education
• Promoting gender equality
In the 21st century, public health protection is viewed both as shared duty and
• Producing more jobs
obligation. Thus, people need to understand global issues, concerns and trends that include
• Investing more in agriculture
fair access to essential healthcare and protection against multinational threats which directly
• Strengthened nutrition programs for children and infants
or indirectly affect the health and lives of billions of people worldwide.
• Support and protection of developing and vulnerable countries during crises
Global Health and the Millennium Development Goals
2. Achieve Universal Primary Education
The term “global health” rose in popularity along with the rise of globalization. Bothe
Persons, particularly women who are educated, are more likely to seek
terms improved public awareness of vulnerabilities and shared responsibilities among people
medical care especially during pregnancy, ensuring proper nutrition for their family,
for the different injustices in the world.
adopting healthy sanitary practices and ensuring immunization of children. As an
Ilona Kickbush (2006), director of the Global Health Program at the Graduate Institute effect infants and children have better survival rates, are healthier and better
of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland states that global health nourished. If these are attained, children who received primary education are more
pertains to various health issues, concerns and trends which go beyond national boundaries likely to:
and call for global initiatives for the protection and promotion of peoples’ health across the • Marry and have their own families at a later stage in life
world. • Practice family planning and have fewer children
• Know rights, responsibilities and civic obligations
Koplan and Associates (2009) states that global health is an area for study, research
• Seek employment and sustain personal and family needs
and practice that prioritizes health improvement and achieving impartiality in healthcare and
• Have decreased risk of getting sexually transmitted infections like HIV/AIDS
wellness worldwide. Beaglehole and Bonita (2010) gave a short but meaningful definition of
• Support and protection of developing and vulnerable countries during crises
global health: cooperative research and action of international communities to promote
health for all.
3. Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
Millennium Development Goals Gender equality means equal representation of men and women. It implies
that all gender should have equal value and treatment. Equal gender treatment
The United Nations Millenium Development Goals are eight targets that all 191 UN
empowers women and other groups creating opportunities in education, work,
Member States have agreed to achieve by 2015.
finances and other aspects which improves the economy and lessen effects of
The United Nations Millenium Declaration, signed in September 2000 commits world financial crises. Gender equality can be achieved through:
leaders to fight discrimination against women and children, disease, hunger, poverty, • Early childhood development intervention
illiteracy, and environmental degradation. All of these goals cannot be attained without • Promotion of women’s political rights and involvement
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 • Improved reproductive health programs and policies
• Education and integrating gender equality in school curriculum
• Improved women’s access to work and strengthened labor policies for women
• Support and protection of developing and vulnerable countries during crises
4. Reduce Child Mortality
Programs and policies which help reduce child mortality like improving
nutritional intake, healthcare facilities and infrastructure, and other fields which
improve children’s lives. Strengthening local and national health programs and
policies is one way to reduce child mortality. This includes:
• Immunization programs
• Assuring the survival and better health of mothers
• Improving reproductive health programs and policies
• Better nutrition program for infants, children and mothers
5. Improve Maternal Health
Improved maternal health is not only about mother’s health but also involves
the health and wellness of the family. Maternal health also helps eradicate other
problems like poverty, gender inequality, decreased workforce, lower birth deaths
and disability of women. Some ways to improve maternal health include:
• Improved and proper nutrition of mothers
• Teaching the benefits of birth spacing and small family size
• Education young boys and girls about importance of maternal health
• Better and improved access to hospital care especially obstetrics-gynecology,
prenatal and postnatal care
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases
Emerging and re-emerging diseases like HIV/AIDS, malaria, influenza and other
diseases affect productivity and growth of nations. Some of the effects of disease
outbreak are loss of jobs, shortage in professional workers, and creating social crises.
Children are the most vulnerable and are exposed to exploitation and abuse
undermining their normal growth and development. Some ways to combat diseases
include effective prevention, treatment and care like:
• Improve housing conditions
• Increased access to anti-malarial medicines
• Promoting safer sex behavior and preventive education for all
• Promoting Tuberculosis (TB) screening of HIV/AIDS person and
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• TB – Directly Observed treatment Short (TB-DOTS) Course therapy
• Promoting the use of insecticide-treated nets to fight mosquito-borne diseases
7. Ensure Environmental Sustainability
Investing and supporting sustainable energy like solar, wind, and water
energy help support jobs, create business opportunities, and save remaining non-
renewable energy sources. Environmental sustainability assures people to live
healthier and enjoy a clean and green environment. Some of the benefits of a
sustainable environment are:
• Cleaner air and environment
• Clean, environment-friendly, and renewable energy
• New and aspiring jobs and business in energy
• Increased access to sanitation
8. Global Partnership for Development
The United Nations, World Health Organization, World Bank and
governments work together to make sure there is fair trade and that heavily indebted
countries obtain relief and funds to combat poverty, malnutrition and funds for
education and social projects. Some benefits of global partnership are:
• Expanded international trade agreements
• Improved access to affordable medicine
• Reduced poverty through government debt relief grant
• Developed information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure
The Global Fight against Communicable Diseases
One of the benefits of globalization to the world is the development and
improvement of various health initiatives initiated by different nations and governments to
address health issues and concerns. Global health initiatives are programs set in motion by
the United Nations through the World Health Organization and in partnership with the World
Bank which targets specific health problems including but not limited to emerging and re-
emerging diseases, climate change, environmental sanitation, mental health, tobacco
regulation, and alcohol use.
Roll Back Malaria
Roll Back Malaria is a global effort to reduce the number of deaths from malaria
infection through heightened prevention tools, rapid response to outbreaks, development of
new anti-malarial products, and effective treatment of the infection.
Specific Objectives:
1. To enable and to increase the capacity of caregivers to recognize malaria
promptly and take early appropriate action;
2. To empower service providers by imparting adequate knowledge, skill and
capacity which enable them to respond to malaria illness appropriately;
3. To create an enabling environment for implementation.
Stop TB
Stop TB is a global effort to prevent further transmission of tuberculosis or TB around
the world. One of the programs for Stop TB is the implementation of the TB-DOTS short-
course strategy.
Objectives:
1. To achieve universal access to high-quality diagnosis and
patient-centered treatment
2. To reduce the suffering and socio-economic burden
associated with TB
3. To protect poor and vulnerable populations from TB, TB/HIV
and multi drug-resistant – TB (MDR-TB)
4. To support development of new tools and enable their
timely and effective use.
Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization
The Global Alliance for Vaccines and immunization is a global strategy which aims to
strengthen children’s immunization programs and introduce new generation of licensed
vaccines into use in developing countries across the globe. These new vaccines which could
help reduce the number of deaths in children aged 5 years old and below includes:
• Hepatitis B vaccine
• Childhood meningitis vaccine
• Yellow fever vaccine
• Influenza vaccine
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• Vaccine for pneumonia
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria is a funding project rather than an
initiative. Nevertheless, it helps in the prevention, reduction and mitigation of the negative
impacts of the three diseases to humanity which contributes to the fulfillment of the
Millenium Development Goals.
Global Prevention and Control of Tobacco and Alcohol Use
• WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) is the prime
international treaty negotiated under WHO. The WHO FCTC came into existence in reaction
to the global epidemic of tobacco use and abuse. It reaffirms the right of every individual
across the world to the highest standard of health promoting public health and providing new
legal means for global health cooperation.
The following summarizes the WHO FCTC provisions:
1. Price and tax measures to reduce the demand for tobacco, and
2. Non-price measures to reduce the demand for tobacco, and
• Protection from exposure to tobacco smoke;
• Regulation of the contents of tobacco products;
• Regulation of tobacco product disclosures;
• New packaging and labelling of tobacco products;
• Education, communication, training and public awareness;
• Demand reduction measures concerning tobacco dependence and
cessation; and
• Tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol
The Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol recognizes the close ties
between the harmful use of alcohol and socio-economic development of a nation. Likewise,
this strategy builds and supports other global health initiatives like the global strategy for the
prevention and control of non-communicable diseases.
Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases

The global Strategy for the Prevention and control of Non-communicable Diseases is
a global action plan to prevent and control the following non-communicable diseases:
cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, cancers, and diabetes, and the four
shared risk factors: unhealthy eating, physical inactivity, tobacco use and alcohol use.

Objective of the Action Plan

1. To raise the priority accorded to non-communicable disease at global and

national levels and to integrate prevention and control of such diseases into
policies across all governments
2. To establish and strengthen national policies and plans for the prevention and
control of non-communicable diseases
3. To promote interventions to reduce the main shared but preventable risk factors
for non-communicable diseases: unhealthy eating, physical inactivity, tobacco use
and harmful use of alcohol
4. To promote research for the prevention and control of non-communicable
diseases
5. To promote partnership for the prevention and control of non-communicable
diseases
6. To monitor non-communicable diseases and their causal factors and evaluate
progress at the local, national and global levels.

Global Initiative for Mental Health

• Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020

The “Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020” is the result of extensive
research and consultations by stakeholders, member-nations, academic and non-
government centers across the globe. The mental health action plan should be
impartial, life-based, and preventive in nature. It basically addresses the following:

• To fight and alleviate negative trends in mental health,

• To improve and make mental health services and care accessible, and
• To prevent abuse of rights and unjust treatment against people with mental
problems, disorders, and disabilities which are still prevalent around the world.