Global Health, Humanitarian Response to Conflicts and Disasters.
Abstract
This comprehensive study explores the intricate dimensions of global health, focusing on the humanitarian response to conflicts and disasters. It grapples with the evolving definition of global health in the 21st century. Emphasizing the shift from the disease-centric approaches to holistic well-being. Rooted in the principles laid by pioneers like William Farr and Rudolf Virchow. Global health now prioritizes evidence-based decision-making, population-centric focus, social justice, and preventive care.
This narrative will help to distinguish global health from public health and international health, highlighting its transnational focus on disparities and cross-border issues. The discourse extends to the interconnected determinants of health, encompassing genetics, access to services, and governmental interventions. This paper will underscore the collaborative effort required from various global actors, including UN agencies, foundations, and NGOs.
Delving into humanitarian response, this study elucidates the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence that guide modern humanitarian work. Historical cases, such as the Rwandan genocide, underscore the necessity of standardized humanitarian practices exemplified by the Sphere Handbook. The analysis traces the professionalization of humanitarian assistance post-Goma; emphasizing the importance of anticipatory planning and coordination.
Finally, this article explores the link between health and broader societal aspects, exemplified by the recent global response to COVID-19. It concludes with a call for continued recognition, application, and research in humanitarian response, guided by leading physicians dedicated to alleviating global suffering within the realm of a robust and interconnected global health framework.
References
I Trehan, S M Kivlehan, K S Balhara, et al, the Global Emergency Medicine Literature Review (GEMLR) Group (2021) Global emergency medicine: A scoping review of the literature from 2020. 28, 1328–1340. https://doi.org/10.1111/acem.14356
HHI Resilient Communities (2022) Symposium Report: The Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Vulnerable Communities in the Philippines.
Sonny S. Patel, Timothy B. Erickson (2022) The new humanitarian crisis in Ukraine: Coping with the public health impact of hybrid warfare, mass migration, and mental health trauma. 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2022.70
V M M.D., M B Murray (2016) The World's Emergency Room: The Growing Threat to Doctors, Nurses, and Humanitarian Workers.
N Sartorius (2006) The meanings of health and its promotion. 47(4), 662-4.
S Griffiths, T Jewell, P Donnelly (2005) Public health in practice: the three domains of public health. 119(10), 907-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2005.01.010
J P Koplan, T C Bond, M H Merson, K S Reddy, M H Rodriguez, N K Sewankambo, et al (2009) Towards a common definition of global health. 373(9679), 1993–5. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(09)60332-9
Institute of Medicine (US) Committee for the Study of the Future of Public Health (1988) Public health as a problem-solving activity: Barriers to effective action.
NLN Publ (1987) Model standards: a guide for community preventive health services. 45-53.
M A Ibrahim, L F Berkman, L Breslow (1985) Health and ways of living: The Alameda county study. 6(3), 413. https://doi.org/10.2307/3342407
J P Mackenbach (2009) Politics is nothing but medicine at a larger scale: reflections on public health's biggest idea. 63(3), 181–4. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.2008.077032
R Karkee (2015) Globalization, global health, and disaster. 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2015.00262
(2009) Summary. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK23788/
Thomas L. Haskell (1985) Capitalism and the Origins of the Humanitarian Sensibility, Part 1. 90.
JT Watson, M Gayer, MA Connolly (2007) Epidemics after natural disasters. 13(1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid1301.060779
N Chatwani, G Islam (2020) Humanitarian identifications: heterogeneous responses to institutional complexity at Médecins Sans Frontières. 18(spe), 648–66. https://doi.org/10.1590/1679-395120200188x
(2018) The Sphere Handbook: Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response, fourth edition. www.spherestandards.org/handbook
(2010) Monitoring the Building Blocks of Health Systems: A handbook of indicators and their measurement strategies. http://www.who.int/healthinfo/systems/monitoring/en/
NCBI (2011)
HE Reed, CB Keely (2001) The evolution of mortality among Rwandan refugees in Zaire between 1994 and 1997.
(1994) Public health impact of Rwandan refugee crisis: What happened in Goma. 345.
D Millwood (1996) International Response to Conflict and Genocide: Lessons from the Rwanda Experience. Humanitarian Aid and Effects.
(1994) Mortality and malnutrition among Rwandan refugees in Zaire. 344, 823–4.
WHO Solidarity Trial: How a Spanish doctor joined the race for a COVID-19 treatment. https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/who-solidarity-trial-how-a-spanish-doctor-joined-the-race-for-a-covid-19-treatment
Fadela Chaib, Diane Abad-Vergara (2020) Global leaders unite to ensure everyone everywhere can access new vaccines, tests and treatments for COVID-19. https://www.who.int/news/item/24-04-2020-global-leaders-unite-to-ensure-everyone-everywhere-can-access-new-vaccines-tests-and-treatments-for-covid-19
A C Galina, D Sarzi, L C de Medeiros, A L F Sampaio, J Leta (2021) The promising drugs included in WHO's Solidarity Project: a choice based in scientific knowledge and institutional competencies. 116. https://doi.org/10.1590/0074-02760200603
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Authors and Global Journals Private Limited
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
