¶ … World Health Organization
Advocating Universal Access to Primary Care
One major goal of primary health care is better health for all. Furthermore, the major international initiative to foster this goal is from the World Health Organization who has advocated since the late seventies to improve global public health by improving access. The WHO has created a coalition calls for a (WHO, N.d.):
"A new global coalition of more than 500 leading health and development organizations worldwide is urging governments to accelerate reforms that ensure everyone, everywhere, can access quality health services without being forced into poverty. The coalition emphasises the importance of universal access to health services for saving lives, ending extreme poverty, building resilience against the health effects of climate change and ending deadly epidemics such as Ebola."
The statement calls something other than common conceptions of what is referred to as "universal healthcare" in the West. However, "access" to healthcare in the developing world is typically thought of along three dimensions (Evans, Hsu, & Boerma, 2013)
Physical accessibility. This is understood as the availability of good health services within reasonable reach of those who need...
This is a measure of people's ability to pay for services without financial hardship. It takes into account not only the price of the health services but also indirect and opportunity costs (e.g. the costs of transportation to and from facilities and of taking time away from work). Affordability is influenced by the wider health financing system and by household income.
Acceptability. This captures people's willingness to seek services. Acceptability is low when patients perceive services to be ineffective or when social and cultural factors such as language or the age, sex, ethnicity or religion of the health provider discourage them from seeking services.
It is important to note that the concept of universal healthcare, as it is often thought of in the West, does not necessarily imply a single payer system such is found in nearly all developed countries. Rather, according to the UN, the system must be affordable and accessible in a variety of different ways. Although, countries such as the UK and France, guarantees coverage to all its citizens, there are many other ways to expand access as well. For…
References
Evans, D., Hsu, J., & Boerma, T. (2013). Universal health coverage and universal access. Retrieved from WHO: http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/91/8/13-125450/en/
WHO . (N.d.). Neglected Tropical Diseases. Retrieved from World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/diseases/en/
WHO. (N.d.). Univesal health coverage . Retrieved from World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/universal_health_coverage/en/
diseases West Nile virus, malaria, plague, and yellow fever. Specifically, it will discuss the history and distribution of the diseases in the United States or worldwide, and compare each of the diseases based on the categories above, as to which is most important individually and overall in terms of relative impact. West Nile virus only appeared in the United States in 1999, but it has become quite a feared disease
Prevention and Control of the Flu The flu is a serious illness but one of its great advantages is that a vaccine does exist to contain its spread and prevent or at least mitigate its symptoms. The flu is a virus and available antiviral medications like Tamiflu are not as effective as treating, for example, a bacterial infection with an antibiotic. The most effective method of treating the flu is to
Elephantiasis The disease commonly known as "Elephantitis" is actually scientifically termed Elephantiasis. It is a disease of the skin that is caused by a number of crucial factors which, when working in conjunction with one another, cause human tissue to thicken and swell. This paper will examine Elephantiasis, provide a background of the disease, and describe current methods of treatment. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Elephantiasis cannot occur
Tracking Dengue Fever in China Dengue Fever Dengue is a viral disease transmitted from host to host by mosquitoes (Shepherd, 2012, Background). Many tropical and subtropical regions of the world are currently combating this disease, including 112 countries in the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Australia. These regions are home to almost 3 billion people, therefore nearly half of the world's population is at risk for becoming infected with dengue. Currently, between 50
Cholera in Somalia: Resources Determine Strategy Cholera in Somalia Cholera Background Information Vibrio cholerae (cholera) is a Gram-negative bacterium that threatens human health when water and food supplies become contaminated (Weil, Ivers, and Harris, 2012). Its emergence occurs most often in crowded and unsanitary conditions and on average kills approximately 50% of those who develop symptoms and never receive treatment. Death occurs because a toxin secreted by the bacterium is endocytosed by epithelial
The race between new drugs and new resistances has not stopped since then.... And in 1986, WHO's expert panel concluded that a magic solution could not be relied upon, and that furthermore, malaria patterns were determined by a variety of socioeconomic as well as biological, climatic and geographic factors. " (Banfield, 1998. p. 35) The article refers as well to the impact of malaria on the people of Kenya "...
