Health Trends, Issues, and

Concerns (Global level)

For its central role in global affairs, health issues are among the priority concerns of the United Nations. It thus
designated the World Health Organization to serve as the lead agency tasked to direct and coordinate with all member
nations regarding leadership, supervision, technical support and education on matters about health, which affects many
countriesincluding the Philippines.
In the 21st century, public health protection is viewed both as a shared duty and obligation. Thus, people need to
understand global issues, concerns and trends that include fair access to essential healthcare and protection against
multinational threats which directly or indirectly affect the health and lives of billions of people worldwide.

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

3 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 womens political rights and involvement
Improved reproductive health programs and policies
Education and integrating gender equality in school
curriculum
Improved womens access to work and strengthened labor
policies for women
Support and protection of developing and vulnerable
countries during crises

4 Programs and policies which help reduce child mortality like

improving nutritional intake, healthcare facilities and infrastructure, and
other fields which improve childrens 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 mothers 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, prenataland 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

9 Narcotic Drug Abuse - In 2016 The General Assembly of the
UN met to hold a special session to address the global drug
problem. The result was this 174-page report. In it, the vast scope
of the drug epidemic is outlined;
It is estimated that 1 in every 20 adults between the ages of 15 and
64 had used at least one illegal drug in 2014, 207,400 drug-related
deaths in 2014, only 1 in every 6 people with a drug use disorder
seeks treatment
The group finishes by determining sustainable development goals
which are being enacted across the world to combat the insidious
abuse.

10 Mental health for trauma survivors. In 2016, the mental health

consequences of war, displacement, Ebola, gender-based violence, natural
disasters and other traumas will become more and more apparent. Todays
global health workforce isnt ready for these challenges there are too few
social service workers and others trained to provide complex, specialized
mental health care, and far too few are based where the need is greatest.
In fact, there just arent enough health workers right now to go around
period.