Global Health Updates

Here you will see whats happening in the space of Global Health, collect perspectives and explore opportunities

Global Health News

World Health Day 2019

We the Global Health Access Initiative on this World Health Day remind world leaders that everyone should be able to access the health care they need, when and where they need it.

Universal health coverage means that all people have access to the quality health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship. We believe this is possible and it starts with strong primary health care. Primary health care is a whole-of-society approach to health and wellbeing centered on the needs and preferences of individuals, families, and communities.

We the GHAI reiterate our call to make health for all a reality, governments need to invest in quality, accessible primary health care. Health workers need to care and advocate for patients and educate them on how to get and stay healthy. Individuals and communities need to be empowered to take care of their own health. Health is a human right. Together, we can make health for all a reality

Watch this video that invites you to sign the petition for Universal health coverage (UHC): http://www.who.int/petition UHC means that all people have access to the quality health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship. Yet at least half the people in the world do not receive the health services they need. Watch and share this video to help the World Health Organization to change this. For more information on World Health Day please visit: http://www.who.int/whd19

 

Global Health Features

Putting Health Equity in to perspective

By Megh

Equity is the absence of avoidable, unfair, or remediable differences among groups of people, whether those groups are defined socially, economically, demographically or geographically or by other means of stratification. "Health equity” or “equity in health” implies that ideally everyone should have a fair opportunity to attain their full health potential and that no one should be disadvantaged from achieving this potential

Here are a couple of definitional concepts from notable works, based on widely recognized ethical and human rights principles and supported by knowledge from health sciences.

Consensus around definitions for an issue such as health equity can help bridge divides and foster productive dialogue among diverse stakeholder groups. Conversely, a lack of clarity can lead to detours, and pose a barrier to effective engagement and action

Approaches from:

Health Equity Institute

To achieve health equity, we must eliminate avoidable health inequities and health disparities requiring short-and long-term actions, including:

  • Attention to the root causes of health inequities and health disparities, specifically health determinants, a principal focus of Healthy People 2020.

  • Particular attention to groups that have experienced major obstacles to health associated with socio-economic disadvantages and historical and contemporary injustices.

  • Promotion of equal opportunities for all people to be healthy and to seek the highest level of health possible.

  • Distribution of socio-economic resources needed to be healthy in a manner that progressively reduces health disparities and improves health for all.

  • Continuous efforts to maintain a desired state of equity after avoidable health inequities and health disparities are eliminated.

​Definitions:

  • Health Equity: Attainment of the highest level of health for all people. Health Equity means efforts to ensure that all people have full and equal access to opportunities that enable them to lead healthy lives.  Learn more from our Health Equity Framework

The concepts of health equity and health disparity are inseparable in their practical implementation. Policies and practices aimed at promoting the goal of health equity will not immediately eliminate all health disparities, but they will provide a foundation for moving closer to that goal.

Summarized from Healthy People 2020  

Helpful Resources

What is Health Equity?: A video from The Health Equity Institute

Dr. Cynthia A. Gómez, HEI Director, talks about Health Equity on 'Science Studio,' a radio show

Healthy People 2020: Social Determinants of Health

Healthy People 2020: Health Disparities and Health Equity

The National Association of County and City Health Officials presents The Roots of Health Inequity: A Web-Based Course for the Public Health Workforce

Closing the Gap in a Generation: Health Equity through Action on the Social Determinants of Health

The Community Guide’s Model for Linking the Social Environment to Health 

California Office of Health Equity

Citations:

  1. Content adapted from Healthy People 2020 and CA Health and Safety Code

  2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health. National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities. The National Plan for Action Draft as of February 17, 2010. Chapter 1: Introduction. Available here. 

  3. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Healthy People 2020. Washington, DC.

Global Health Career Center

Looking for career opportunities in global health?

Here is our new pick from MPHOnline, ranking the

TOP 10 INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH JOBS

“International public health jobs are a growing sector of the professional market, with public health professionals becoming more in-demand as globalization makes the world smaller. Events in one nation – be it natural disaster, pandemic, or civilian casualties of war – impact many other nations, from refugees in neighboring states to disruption of international markets”

https://www.mphonline.org/best-international-public-health-jobs/

That’s why public health is no longer a local or even national concern – it’s a global concern, and global public health professionals are essential.

To explore click or copy the link below on to the URL window:

https://explorehealthcareers.org/career/public-health/global-health/

https://www.publichealth.org/careers/global-health/

https://explorehealthcareers.org/career/public-health/global-health/

 https://www.publichealth.org/careers/global-health/

Vacancies from unJOBS:

https://unjobs.org/themes/global-health