Global Health Care: Issues and Policies - Essay Example

"Global Health Care: Issues and Policies" is an engrossing example of a paper on social and family issues. Global health is a concept advanced by the World Health Organization to refer to the health in the global context with emphasis on health issues that cross national borders or those that have an economic and political impact globally. I learned many issues regarding global health such as the association between health and labor productivity, human development as well as economic development. It has also been essential to understanding the factors that determine health statuses such as income, age, culture, education, sex, social status, genetic makeup, knowledge of healthy behaviors and access to health services (Holtz, 2008). The factors extend to the social and economic aspects of people’s lives as well as government policies.

Of essence has also been the role of determinants such as life expectancy, child mortality rates, death rates among others on the Global Health courses. This dictates the level of advancement towards achieving the objectives set on the global health realization by the World Health Organization. I have also learned various efforts that have been made with the aim of achieving global health and the factors that influence such efforts. The explanations on the uneven progress of global health realization were also very important; with the disparities in health status and access to health services varying across and within countries.

The significance of learning about global health is in line with the need to learn the trends and other general health issues and concerns around the world. Health issues are of course interrelated; therefore, studying them in the global context provides a wider scope from which to establish the most efficient and effective means of addressing health problems. The wider scope provides an essential ground for learning various health-related issues including the diseases as well as their associated factors. The various factors that affect the global health status are particularly important when trying to address health issues on a wider scale, such as those of groups of people or even nations. There is a close linkage between health and the social, political and economic development in the interdependent world. The study of global health entails the wellbeing of everyone everywhere in the world thus have essential impacts on global security and freedom. It also bolsters the ethical dimensions of the health of other people. The global health study is also significant in comparing the different health strategies implemented across countries in the world. This enables the establishment of the most effective strategies that can then be copied and enforced in other parts of the world. The comprehensiveness and wide basis of the study of health in the global context are thus very essential (Skolnik & Skolnik, 2012).

My learning on global health entailed attending lectures, analyzing texts and reading books. I gained essential perspectives on global health from my lecturer, particularly the varying health status across the world and the efforts by WHO towards its achievement. The texts: journals, case studies, and textbooks enhanced my knowledge on various contemporary health issues in the world as well as the challenges faced in addressing them. This is particularly in relation to HIV/AIDS and the recent Ebola pandemic in West Africa. The lectures were very interesting and important as was the personal studies in libraries.

The personal goals I have set for myself are to improve my personal learning and experience, by focusing more on personal research and studies in the library as well in the field. I consider this very essential for personal growth.

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