Global Health

Part II: Cross-Cutting Global Health Themes
 

Chapter 4 - Ethical and Human Rights Concerns in Global Health

Most of the topics in this section are covered in the ETHICS tab. There are numerous challenges to incorporate ethical and human rights into global health policy. Many public health and global health students do not get enough exposure in their studies to ethical and human rights issues. There may have few opportunities to take subjects that cover an deeper issues of human rights. 
There is also a widening gap in holding countries, both developed and underdeveloped, for meeting guidelines set by international treaties and conventions concerning the right to health. There is a lack of detailed review of the fairness of investment choices that these countries are making. 

In addition, there is still unclear issues of human research and the rights of communities participating in research. 


Chapter 1 (from Introducing Global Health) - An Brief History of Global Health Policy

• Organized health policies started forming when nomads settled down

• This is largely due to newer, high scale threats in agrarian life with a community

• The type of illnesses throughout time for humankind transitioned from infectious to chronic 

• This was largely propelled by the two industrial revolutions; despite technological innovations, there were many health threats

• Populations went up along with child mortality rates

• Advanced technology lead to large scale violence, whose catastrophic consequences led to "civilized warfare"

• Aid for developing countries after WWII did not help because these countries did not have the capacity to use it wisely; it is impossible to speed poor nations through aid (unlike the reconstruction of post-WWII Europe)

• Wars led rich countries to forsake the progress of others

• Vicious oil cycle in 1990s left many poor nations in debt

• Adjustment programs did little to improve this debt and instead hurt the middle class

• In the 2000s, the public health policies of Asia rises, along with their economic capabilities (i.e. China investing in poor nations)

• Humanitarian aid is the current trend

 

Link to developing countries
There is too much water in developing countries (i.e. flooding leading to infectious agents).
There is too little water (i.e. clean water to sustain rising populations).
There are too many people in developing countries (i.e. lack of education leads to an increase in population and a decrease in space and resources).

There are too few people (i.e. the developed, rich countries' populations are decreasing and taking away most of the educated).
 

Questions & Ethics
Is monetary aid from developed countries more beneficial than harmful?

Where is the line drawn between economic and human development?