World Health Organization - Research Paper Example

The World Health Organization (WHO) is an international institution as a service arm of United Nations (UN) focused on healthcare services. As an institution, it provides direction and coordination with its global partners by empowering leaders’ competence on healthcare to hone their expertise in dealing with worldwide health issues (WHO, 2006). It also conducts empirical research and policy advocacy to nurture standards in providing technical support for needy countries as well as to enable experts to effectively conduct regular monitoring and appraisals of health conditions (WHO, 2006). This millennium, where UN targeted at halving world’s poverty, demands shared global responsibility, accountability and of increasing affordable access to healthcare for people who are constantly exposed to illness, vulnerability and disasters. WHO as institution WHO set priorities of intervention based on Results-based Management Framework and their strategic objectives set within the 6-year Medium-term Strategic Plan 2008-2013 (WHO, 2007). Focused intervention areas are: (a) provision of support for nations toward universal coverage for proficient and effective public health interventions; (b) intensification of global health security; (c) engendering and sustaining more actions to reform the major factors affecting health e.g. behavior, social, economic and environment; (d) escalating institutional capacities to improve health governance by distributing and delivering core public health functions amongst health disasters; and (e) fortifying WHO’s leadership at all levels (WHO, 2007). From these broad goals, WHO generated specific functions to undertake. These are capacitating leadership and encouraging partnership for collaborative actions on critical health issues; conducting research studies to upgrade their data knowledge management; standardizing performance appraisals and monitoring contextualized on ethical imperatives and policies; institutionalization of technical supports to nurture catalysts for change; and conduct of monitoring and evaluation of health trends (WHO, 2007). All these are also enshrined under the framework of the 11th General Programme of Work, which detailed its programme of work, operational resources and targeted key results covering 10-year intervention health program. The latter commenced from 2006 and set to end by 2015. WHO has service areas in African region, America, Southeast Asia, European region, Eastern Mediterranean and Western Pacific regions. Empirical scope of the need/issue/problem WHO’s development and social workers perform their tasks within ever changing and challenging world circumstance based on the 6-point agenda which fundamentally concerns on two health objectives, two strategic needs, and two operational mechanism (WHO, 2011c). The organization promotes development agenda considering the primordial necessity of socioeconomic development of every nation which precipitate the needed resources for health intervention (WHO, 2011c). Such is contextualized in global reality that many countries considerably suffered poverty and ergo, had disturbing health conditions, too. Experts assailed that the measure of good health are inspired by the moral principles that access-to health services should be equitably favored to poor, vulnerable, disadvantaged and those nation suffering the conflagration of challenging, neglected or chronic illnesses (WHO, 2011c). The latter calls for collaborative actions since such are meant to address outbreaks of pandemic diseases in urban areas. Hence, WHO works for people’s health education too to nurture the interrelation and correlation of health and environmental conditions of the community and the kind of food produce and made available in the market (WHO, 2011c). WHO advocated that for nations’ well-being and improved health condition, each of these served developing countries should endeavor to address reduction of poverty and strengthen government’s quality services for health by prioritizing the strengthening of health in their respective national agenda and budget (WHO, 2011c). WHO likewise support nations in documenting and researching health related matters as database are relevant in the process of defining priorities, determining strategies, and evaluating key results of intervention and programs (WHO, 2011c). WHO engender reliable and culture-sensitive health information consolidated by experts and is written following standards to explicate empirical-focused study on global health situation (WHO, 2011c). Hence, the paramount need to undertake collaboration of many stakeholders through UN agencies and international donors, civil society and the private sector. WHO opted to wield its objectives in their intervention using evidences and scientific understanding of health cases. The institution likewise wanted to undertake reforms to improve efficiency and effectiveness of their services and undertakings worldwide (WHO, 2011c). Hence, WHO’s action are technically results-based administration, with comprehensible and observable key results to appreciate the impacts it gave to served nations at all levels. WHO Funding WHO sourced their funding from international communities, UN member countries and donor institutions—both public and private. In 2010, WHO has a total operating cost of US$ 2323 (WHO, 2011a; WHO, 2011b). These are consolidated operating proceeds are sourced from Member States, voluntary donors. This operational cost covers programmatic activities and non-programmatic activities. The latter is allocated with US$ 114 million (WHO, 2011a; WHO, 2011b). Such budget covers for partner activities, reimbursable purchases and for publications (WHO, 2011a). WHO explicated that their operating revenue also covered the 2010 voluntary contributions and appraised contributions payable by Member States in 2010. The institution opined that it has a standing collectible amount as of December 31, 2010 an amount of US$ 609 million, of which about US$ 521 million are sourced from voluntary contributions and US$ 87 million for assessed contributions (WHO, 2011b). The fund will be likewise used for program implementation in 2011 as these are all considered as commitments of member states. The same can be utilized for staff salaries, fees for external contractors, and other future intervention planned work (WHO, 2011b). Evidence of the effectiveness of the organization or agency. WHO’s strengths is dependent on its neutral status and nearly universal membership of its states. It can serve in borderless Hippocratic Oath while wielding its apolitical and impartiality to call together member states. WHO is prominent of its incomparable effectiveness in tackling diseases (WHO, 2006). While its has an extensive global normative work but its standards and utilization of medical diagnostic equipment assured states that healthcare issues can be resolved with structural and formal and informal networks supports (WHO, 2006). These are opportunities that can be exploited to engage with countries. Moreover, their collaborative undertaking proved effective in their efforts to address HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other communicable diseases in served countries (WHO, 2006). Educative measures also help develop more awareness on nutrition, emergencies, disasters, aging and other health related issues. WHO must however, continuously upgrade their procedural mechanisms to effectively realize its potentials amid climactic and environmental shifts that may affect people health and conditions (WHO, 2006). It will also provide more vivid understanding of health equity inherent to the fundamentals of human rights. WHO likewise need to address further the significant issues on gender-based inequities as matter of international policy (WHO, 2006). Moreover, it must likewise systematize more its relations with international civil society, industry, and pharmaceutical companies. References WHO (2006) Engaging for Health: Eleventh General Programme of Work 2006-2015 A Global Health Agenda. World Health Organization. Geneva, Switzerland. pp. 1-56. WHO (2007). Delivering Effective Services Efficiently: Summary version of a Service Delivery Model Supported by the Global Management System (GSM), World Health Organization. Geneva, Switzerland. WHO (2011a). Unaudited Interim Financial Report for the year 2010. Sixty-Fourth World Health Assembly. Provisional Agenda Form 17.1, World Health Organization. Geneva, Switzerland. WHO (2011b). Voluntary Contributions by fund and by donor for the year ended 31 December 2010. Sixty-Fourth World Health Assembly. Provisional Agenda Form 17.1, World Health Organization. Geneva, Switzerland. A64/29 Add. 1. 7 April 2011. WHO (2011c) Medium-Term Strategic Plan 2008-2013: Interim Assessment. World Health Organization. Geneva, Switzerland. pp. 1-94 Read More