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 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 peoples’ 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.

Millennium Development Goals

The United Nations Millennium Development Goals are eight targets that all 191 UN Member 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.
All of these goals cannot be attained without addressing each and everyone. All of them influence, affect and
depend on better global health programs and policies.

1 Developing countries particularly in Africa and Asia suffer from extreme poverty and hunger. Poverty and
hunger leads 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 Persons, particularly women who are educated, are more likely to seek medical care especially during
pregnancy, ensuring proper nutrition for their 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

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:
4 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 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 obstetric-gynecology, prenatal and postnatal care

6 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 (TB-DOTS) Course therapy
 Promoting the use of insecticide-treated nets to fight mosquito-borne diseases
7 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 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

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.

The Global Fight against Communicable Diseases

C. 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 objective:
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.

D. 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.

E. 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
. Vaccine for pneumonia

F. 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 Millennium 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
Non-price measures to reduce the demand for tobacco, namely: Protection from exposure to tobacco smoke;
Regulation of the contents of tobacco products;
Regulation of tobacco product disclosures;
New packaging and labeling 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 the 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.
Objectives 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 partnerships 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,
nationa,l 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.
United Nations Development Program’s Quick Wins
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) works with different nations and organizations to
withstand crises, empower lives and improve the quality of life for all. One of the UNDP’s intervention programs
to achieve the eight millennium development goals is called Quick Wins. Quick Wins are actions that can be
immediately used within the community or locale to produce effective results. If applied continuously, Quick Wins
could change people’s views, and beliefs and trigger actions which could lead to helping millions of lives and
countries find their right path towards the goals. Below are some examples of UNDP’s Quick Wins:
No school fees and free access to educational materials and facilities in schools to ensure that all children
attend classes. This eliminates poor families’ concept that education is only for those who can afford it.
Finances can include donor assistance from partnerships with private groups.

Children are provided with free school meals and take-home rations using locally produced food.

Regular annual deworming for all school children especially in impoverished areas to improve health and
education.

Provision for poor farmers of affordable supplies of soil nitrogen and other soil nutrients.

Design community nutrition programs for pregnant, nursing mothers and children below five years of age.
These includes breastfeeding, feeding programs and micronutrient supplements like vitamin A and zinc.

Offer basic skills training of community members in health, farming, technical-vocational, and infrastructure.

Free basic health services sponsored by private organizations.

Expanded access to sexual and reproductive health information and services. These includes family planning
information campaign and services.
Distribution of free, effective and efficient insecticide-treated bed nets to families especially in malaria and
dengue-endemic areas.

Active national and local campaigns to reduce violence against women and children.

Reform and enforce legislation protecting and empowering women’s and children’s rights.

Empowering women to play an important role in formulating and monitoring poverty reduction strategies,
programs and policies.

Allowing government-owned hospitals, health centers, schools and other social service institutions free access
to electricity, water, sanitation and internet using sustainable and renewable energies like solar panels, wind
and geothermal generators.

Plant endemic trees at the community level to provide shade, produce, watershed protection, windbreak and
timber.

SUMMARY
Global health initiatives are programs and projects which help address global health issues, concerns,
and trends. Global health is a new trend in which the World Health Organization addresses health concerns in
cooperation with member-nations and private international organizations as partners. Some of these health
issues, concerns, and trends are about mental health, pollution, climate change, environmental sanitation,
tobacco control, harmful use of alcohol, and prevention and control of communicable and non-communicable
diseases.
Along with the health initiatives to prevent if not reduce the prevalence of health problems, the United
Nations formulated the eight millennium developmental goalsin the year 2000 so that nations across the world
can reduce poverty and hunger, promote universal education for all and gender equity, reduce mortality among
children, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDs, malaria, and other communicable diseases, ensure
environmental sustainability, and develop global partnership in addressing global problems.
Among the global health initiatives led by the World Health Organization are: Stop TB, Roll Back Malaria, Global
Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases, Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, Comprehensive
Mental Health Action Plan, Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol and Global Strategy for the
Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases.