MAPEH 10 – HEALTH

HEALTH TRENDS, ISSUES, AND CONCERNS (GLOBAL LEVEL)

Global Health and The Millennium Development Goals

The term “global health” rose in popularity along with the rise of globalization. Both terms
improved public awareness of vulnerabilities and shared responsibilities among people for the different
injustices in the world.

Ilona Kickbush (2006), director of the Global Health Program at the Graduate Institute of
International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland states that the global health pertains to
various health issues, concerns, and trends which go beyond national boundaries and call for global
initiatives for the protection and promotion of people’s health across the world.

Koplan and Associates (2009) states that global health is an area for study, research and practice
that prioritizes health improvement and achieving impartiality in healthcare and wellness worldwide.

Beaglehole and Bonita (2010) gave a short but meaningful definition of global health: cooperative
research and action of international communities to promote health for all.

8 Millennium Development Goals

The United Nations Millennium Development Goals are eight targets that all 191 UN Members States have
agreed to achieve by 2015. The United Nations Millennium Declaration signed in September 2000 commits
world leaders to fight discrimination against women and children, disease, hunger, poverty, illiteracy, and
environmental degradation.

1. Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger. Developing countries particularly in Africa and Asia suffer
from extreme poverty and hunger. Poverty and hunger lead to severe malnutrition which leads to lifelong
physical and cognitive (learning and reasoning) damage and affects health, well-being and the economy.
Some key suggestions to eradicate poverty and hunger are:

• Education
• Promoting gender equality
• Producing more jobs
• Investing more in agriculture
• Strengthened nutrition programs for children and infants
• Support and protection of developing and vulnerable countries during crises

2. Achieve Universal Primary Education. Persons, particularly women who are educated, are more likely
to seek medical care especially during pregnancy, ensuring proper nutrition for the family, adopting healthy
sanitary practices and ensuring immunization of children. As an effect, infants and children have better
survival rates, are healthier and better nourished. If these are attained, children who receive primary
education are more likely to:

• Marry and have their own families at a later stage in life

• Practice family planning and have fewer children
• Know rights, responsibilities and civic obligations
• Seek employment and sustain personal and family needs
• Have decreased risk of getting sexually transmitted infections like HIV/AIDS
• Support and protection of developing and vulnerable countries during crises
3. Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women. Gender equality means equal representation of men
and women. It implies that all gender should have equal value and treatment. Equal gender treatment
empowers women and other groups creating opportunities in education, work, finances, and other aspects
which improves the economy and lessen effects of financial crises. Gender equality can be achieved
through:
• Early childhood development intervention
• Promotion of women’s political rights and involvement
• 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
• Educating young boys and girls about the 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:

• Improved housing conditions

• Increased access to anti-malarial medicines
• Promoting safer sex behavior and preventive education for all
• Promoting Tuberculosis (TB) screening of HIV/AIDS persons and
• TB – Directly Observed Treatment Short (TBDOTS) 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 peoples 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

Global Health Initiatives

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.