International/Global Health Policy

Question 1

Examples of collective threats to global health

Answer 1

Pandemics, climate change

Question 2

World music comparison to global health

Answer 2

Global health is a like world music:
- World music - music from non-western countries
- Global health issues - issues that occur in non-western countries (South Americas and Africa (global south))

Question 3

3 main Types of global health

Answer 3

1. Content accounts of global health
2. Geographical accounts of global health
3. Normative accounts of global health

Question 4

Content account of global health

Answer 4

• “courses of action/inaction to address health issues that are under review of existing global actors/institutions”
• Defines global health in terms of the issues global actors/institutions typically address
• What health issues do existing global health institutions (e.g., WHO, MSF) engage with/address?
• What issues the WHO that are found, focused on, and addressed - whatever those issues are = global health issues

Question 5

Example of content account of global health

Answer 5

in scope - access to primary health care in rural India
- in scope because several actors and institutions do lots of work when it comes to primary care in India

out of scope - access to primary health care in London, Ontario

Question 6

Geographical account of global health

Answer 6

• “courses of action/inaction to address health issues that fall outside national boundaries that require global solutions”
• Defines global health spatially/geographically
• Focuses on issues that spatially impact the world
  ex. climate change or pandemics
• Focuses on issues that may only be solved by worldwide intervention and collaboration
  ex; infectious disease control, global tobacco control

Question 7

Ex of Geographical account of global health

Answer 7

In scope - infectious disease pandemics
- infection disease do not respect boundaries - so it Is a gobal health issue
Out of scope - the state of Indigenous people’s health in Canada

Question 8

Normative account of global health

Answer 8

• “courses of action/inaction to address health issues that are considered to be worthy of everyones attention”
• Defines global health in ethical terms, what health issues ‘global health’ ought to focus on
• Focuses on health issues that are considered to be ethically problematic, worthy of everyone’s moral attention
• The scope of global health is specified by ethical arguments regarding existing and historical wrongs characteristic of global trade, structural global inequalities, inequalities in global power

Question 9

Example of Normative account of global health

Answer 9

In scope - the state of Indigenous people’s health in Canada Out of scope -isnt every problem worthy of moral attention

Question 10

Global Health

Answer 10

• an area for study, research, and practice that places a priority on improving health and achieving equity in health for all people worldwide.
• Global health emphasizes transnational health issues, determinants, and solutions; involves many disciplines within/beyond the health sciences and promotes interdisciplinary collaboration; and is a synthesis of population based prevention with individual-level clinical care

Question 11

Who makes global health policy?

Answer 11

• Each country’s policies contribute to ‘global health policy’
• International organizations -World Health Organization, develop or inform health policy
• international organizations affect global health via funding policies and coordination efforts

Question 12

What is the problem with our global health system?

Answer 12

• no government to govern global health/make policy
• organizations require external funding from other countries - have to fund policies that country wants

ex. the US funds a lot of the WHO, criticized for overfunding on technology
- Other people say we need the money to go towards poverty, rather than funding technology

Question 13

Big global health actors

Answer 13

UNICEF - non profit organization focusing on saving children lives

the global fund to fight AIDS - aims to attract and invest resources to end epidemics of tuberculosis, malaria, and AIDS

GAVI - Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization
create equal access to new and underused vaccines for children living in the world’s poorest countries.
ICRC

UNAIDS - connect leadership from governments, the private sector and communities to deliver lifesaving HIV serviceS

MSF - doctors without borders

Partners in Health - non-profit health organization

International Committee of Red Cross - delivers basic healthcare where it is needed

Question 14

The World Bank

Answer 14

• One of the biggest players in global health
• international financial institution that provides financial and technical assistance (loans) to countries around the world to fight poverty
• The World Bank Group is committed to helping governments achieve universal health coverage (UHC) by 2030
• Largest financers of health development in middle income countries

Question 15

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Answer 15

Aims to enhance health care and reduce extreme poverty globally through targeted funding initiatives

Question 16

who controls power and the global health policy agenda?

Answer 16

• those who fund WHO influence the global policy agenda
• The US provides more funding than any other country

Question 17

World Heath Organization (WHO)

Answer 17

• The WHO develops and promotes the use of evidence, tools, norms, and standards to support member states to inform health policy options
• WHO is UN’s health agency - they are part of the UN structure
• ‘harmonizing the health actions of nations’
• 194 countries involved
• Countries vote on what to do with the WHO funding

Question 18

World Health Assembly

Answer 18

• One person/delegate representing each country
• Some are more powerful - more powerful countries

Question 19

Example of global health activities

Answer 19

Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

Legally binding in 181 WHO member states, which requires:
- Measures to protect people from exposure to tobacco smoke
- Regulation of the contents of tobacco products
- Regulation of packaging and labelling of tobacco products
- Regulation of sales to and by minors
–>If people don’t follow it, countries may not want to buy/trade from each other

Question 20

International Health Regulations

Answer 20

• an international legal instrument that is binding on 196 countries across the globe, including all the
  Member States of WHO
• Their aim is to help the international community
  prevent and respond to acute public health risks that have the potential to cross borders and threaten people
  worldwide.”

Question 21

What are the consequences on not complying to the International Health Regulation

Answer 21

The consequences of non-compliance include:
- tarnished international image
- increased morbidity/mortality of affected populations
- unilateral travel
- trade restrictions
- economic and social disruption
- public outrage

Question 22

Are there policies requiring countries to share pathogen samples to create vaccines?

Answer 22

• no regulations
• not illegal, but may create bad relations with other countries

ex. Indonesia didn’t share because they knew western countries would make vaccines faster with their resources, and their own population would not be able to access it

Question 23

What lead to the creation of the United Nations and World Health Organization?

Answer 23

World War II

Question 24

Why implement a pandemic treaty internationally?

Answer 24

• We are in the process of negotiating a new law to prevent and respond to future epidemics
• the proposal is a forceful WHO-like global entity with the capacity to coordinate recalcitrant governments, launch large-scale operations, enforce international rules by providing incentives and penalties, assess the adequacy of national health systems, and provide technical advice free from scientific uncertainty