` As borders disappear, people and goods are increasingly free to move, creating new challenges to global health. These cannot be met by national governments alone but must be dealt with instead by international organizations and agreements’ said Tikki Pang. Whether someone considers globalization as a good thing in terms of issues and benefits we face in the form of increasing intervention, better economics as opposed to diseases. Obviously, globalization is an advancement.Globalization has many definitions, since every professional considers it from a very own perspective. For example, for economists it is emerging markets, for lawyers it is changes in legal policies, for IT specialists it is new technology innovations. One of the existing key challenges is defining globalization. Though, it happens to be that a single definition is elusive. We get a puzzle of a combinations for all perspectives. In general, globalization is a tool changing interaction of hums beings with various fields( economics, socio- cultural, technologies). Since boundaries are vanished, leaders and activists are taking a global arena to adress their ideas. Cyber world is giving us space apart from physical, it is giving a virtual reality experience. Global currency trade is as well accelerating with new technology. With about 1.7$ trillion daily trade happens ( the Economist, 1997). Everyday more and more people are creating networks, this leads to an intensified experience of human interaction. Our beliefs, opinions, ideas are all impacted by globalization. Our thoughts can be shared on common cultural themes(films, pop music, breaking news). Health is impacted by different contributers mentioned above. It takes time to discover them all and analyze, therefore, first we should focus on key concerns related to public health. Globalization impacts on health not just in one specific way, it is mostly a combination of factors. It affects negatively and positively through global trade, causes obesity problems, lung diseases, regional diseases spread across the globe. While it benefits include full access to any discovery made, access to diverse medical care, open education in the field of sciences and medicine, creation of health policies in collaboration with world health organization and world bank.
The relationship between medicine and globalization can be divided into two categories: direct and indirect( Woodward, 2001). Indirect implies water supply, education and sanitation. Mainly, health problems are derived from other fields such as trade, information technology, transport systems( logistics). Woodward together with Labonte identified three steps with lead to identification of health issues. First is the concept of population and its determinants. Second of the concept of globalization and its determinants. Third of a construction of concepts to build a relation between health and globalization. Health is impacted by socio- economic, socio — cultural, environmental, other diverse backgrounds. Therefore, when looking at globalization and effects on health, we should consider other determinants.
Via global trade, means of health risk are exchanged. Those would be tobacco and alcohol. It all began with the establishment of the worlds trade organization in 1980s. Statistics by WHO shows that 70% of deaths occur due to lung cancer and lung diseases( Murrays & Lopez, 1997). Moreover, globalization also led to a massive obesity problem. Popular brands have a tendency to spread calorie — rich foods. According to WHO statistics, by 2020 year there will be 2/3 of population suffering from some type of obesity related diseases. Aggressive marketing strategies contribute to a vast recognition of brands, which results in even more consumption of junk food.
Because of a fast development of aircraft and other transportation means, far reaching regions are no longer far. Region specific diseases no longer belong to one region, instead, spreads across the globe. SARS ( severe acute respiratory syndrome) spread across 30 countries in 2003 (WHO, 2003). In UK public health is mostly threaten by commutable diseases. Almost one million people travel from UK to other countries( Heathrow airport). Cases of distribution of diseases were observed back in 90s and 2000s. For example, when the Hong Kong flu spread across countries. A remaining challenge is a control of transportation of animals and plants with diseases. Aedes Albopictus was introduced from Brazil to UK as a result of weak regulatory system. Another example on errors in regulation is causation of HIV and hepatitis B. Which resulted from trade of blood plasma worth US $5 billion.
Not to mention the benefits for health. Because of globalization, Kazakhstan and other countries can have the best medical technology from Germany. Whereas the world can use Damel Mektepbayeva’s Noore invention.Research opportunities have widened, as well ( Wassenar, 2003). Because of the benefits of cross border institutions such as Singularity, nations are able to educate remarkable scientists. Another positive side of globalization is International trade. Any citizen has an access to medical facilities from any country. Moreover, a diversity of medical products in the market made it more affordable.
Health related policies work well for countries from around the world. Influential policy makers would be the world bank and the world health organization. They created policies for pro-poor growth and adjustment policies, by providing assistance to low income people, developing countries. Also, a private sector is attracting investors from foreign countries to create more efficient health policies, which work on the global level. Private sector can work to overcome the challenges which come as the responsibility of a public sector. Economics suggests that the equity is mere established, not much poverty takes place. Which is good for health care. ( ncbi source).
In conclusion, Globalization is creating significant and complex changes our general public, bringing new open possibilities and also threats. In this essay we see globalization as an overall procedure in which at the same time a wide range of procedures occur in numerous societal spaces.We examined implications of globalizations and the fact that it increases health risks both directly and undirectly. However, International organizations can contribute to minimization of potential risks, have a diplomatic conversation between representatives. International cooperation and promotion of goodwill is the way to fight diseases.Complete use and effecient applicaation of opportunities offered should be considered wisely.
References:
1.Huynen, M. M., Martens, P., & Hilderink, H. B. (n.d.). The health impacts of globalisation: A conceptual framework. Retrieved March 02, 2016, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1208931/
2.GlobaliZation and Health. (n.d.). Retrieved March 02, 2016, from http://www.who.int/trade/glossary/story044/en/
2. Lee, K. (n.d.). The impact o globalization on public health: Implications for the UK faculty of Public Health Medicine. Journal of Public Health Medicine, 22(3), 253–262. Retrieved from http://jpubhealth.oxfordjournals.org/content/22/3/253.full.pdf
3. Pang, T., & Guindon, G. E. (n.d.). Globalization and risks to health. Retrieved March 01, 2016, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1299207/