Essay Undergraduate 2,500 words

Global Health Rights, Sanitation, and Nursing's Role in MDGs

~13 min read 5 sections Health · Global Health

Abstract

This paper addresses three interconnected global health questions: what basic healthcare all people should have access to as a right, how sanitation and cleanliness function as a key risk factor for infectious disease, and how nurses can meaningfully contribute to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The paper argues that a minimum standard of preventive and affordable care should be universally accessible, while recognizing the shared responsibilities of governments and patients. It examines sanitation failures across both developing and developed nations and their role in spreading infectious disease. Finally, it assesses which MDGs fall within the realistic scope of nursing practice, including child mortality reduction, maternal health, gender equity in care, and environmental sustainability.

Key Takeaways

Introduction: Overview of three global health questions addressed
Healthcare as a Right: Minimum care standards and shared patient-government responsibility
Infectious Disease and Sanitation: Sanitation failures as a primary driver of infectious disease
Nursing and the Millennium Development Goals: Nursing contributions to specific UN Millennium Development Goals
Conclusion: Implementation challenges across all three health questions

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What makes this paper effective

The paper addresses three distinct but logically connected global health topics within a single cohesive argument, using real-world examples (MRSA in the NFL, sanitation in Nigeria and China) to ground abstract policy claims.
It balances advocacy with pragmatism — acknowledging both patients' rights to care and their responsibilities — which gives the ethical argument nuance rather than ideological simplicity.
The MDGs section demonstrates careful scope-checking: rather than claiming nurses can address all goals, the writer explicitly distinguishes between goals nurses can directly influence and those beyond their realistic reach.

Key academic technique demonstrated

The paper uses structured scope analysis throughout — each section defines what is possible, what is not, and why. This technique is particularly strong in the MDGs discussion, where the writer systematically evaluates each goal against nursing capabilities, citing specific measurement tools (NEMS, TISS-28) to ground claims in clinical evidence rather than generalization.

Structure breakdown

The paper opens with a brief framing introduction, then proceeds through three substantive sections in a question-and-answer format. The healthcare section moves from complicating factors to a policy recommendation. The sanitation section shifts from global context to individual behavior. The MDGs section uses the UN list as a structural scaffold, working through each goal systematically. A short conclusion ties all three threads together around the theme of implementation challenges.

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Essay 2,500 words

Introduction

Scholarly resources — including books, peer-reviewed journal articles, and reputable websites — are used throughout this paper to support the positions taken. Three questions are addressed: what basic types of healthcare everyone should have access to and why; a focused examination of one risk factor that impacts infectious disease; and an account of how nurses can contribute to one or more of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for global health. While being overly generous about what people are entitled to, or about the full depth of what nurses can realistically accomplish, carries its own risks, it would be equally unwise to suggest that neither question is worthy of serious consideration.

4 Sections Hidden · 1,740 words

Healthcare as a Right620 words

The first question asks what types and forms of healthcare should be a guaranteed right for all people regardless of race, gender, class, or background. Before answering, several complicating factors must be acknowledged. The healthcare systems…

Infectious Disease and Sanitation480 words

Among the many factors that contribute to the spread of infectious disease, cleanliness and sanitation stand out as particularly significant. As noted above, many parts of the world lack reliable running…

Nursing and the Millennium Development Goals520 words

The Millennium Development Goals, as established by the United Nations at the Millennium Summit in 2000, consist of eight goals:

Conclusion120 words

In the end, all three questions addressed here have reasonably clear answers at a conceptual level. Implementing those answers, however, is considerably more difficult — constrained by…

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References

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Travi Canabarro, S., Stochero Velozo, K.D., Rosaria Eidt, O., Pedro Piva, J., & Ramos Garcia, P.C. (2013). Concurrent validation of nursing scores (the NEMS and TISS-28) in pediatric intensive care. Acta Paulista de Enfermagem, 26(2), 123–128.

UNMP. (2015, January 23). UN Millennium Project | About the MDGs. Retrieved January 23, 2015, from http://www.unmillenniumproject.org/goals/

Volin, B. (2013, October 27). Buccaneers dealing with MRSA outbreak. The Boston Globe. Retrieved January 23, 2015, from http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/2013/10/26/buccaneers-dealing-with-mrsa-outbreak/2JxLajA7nNdZXec8kKq4kI/story.html

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Key Concepts in This Paper

Universal Healthcare Sanitation Access Infectious Disease Millennium Development Goals Nursing Practice Preventive Care Child Mortality Maternal Health Environmental Sustainability Global Health Equity