MHA 614 Policy Formation & Leadership in Health Organizations           

Discussion 1: World Health Situations

Discuss and analyze the world health situation. What is the greatest problem facing the world population? What strategies (at least three) would you utilize to alleviate this problem?

ANSWER:

The world health situation is a precarious situation as the demand for health care services increases exponentially and the pool of qualified medical staff is sparse. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) there are 57 countries facing a critical health workforce crisis, each of these countries has fewer than 23 health workers per 10,000 people (“Health Workforce”, n.d., p. 1). This lack of qualified workers makes treatment and access to health care services almost unattainable for the poor majority of these various countries. One region in particular is in the worst position; the Sub-Saharan Africa has 11% of the world’s population and 25% of the global disease burden but only has 3% of the global workforce (“Health Workforce”, n.d., p. 1).

Several solutions to this problem have been analyzed and discussed over the past few decades. An assignment we had several weeks ago discussed the impact of shortages of qualified nursing staff and the impact on the health care industry and patients. A solution I’m sure many offered to this problem that can apply to the global crisis is education. Education on a global scale would solve many countries staffing shortage and simultaneously allow families to rise above poverty levels with an advanced education. Also, centralization of a health curriculum would allow health care workers to travel to any country and work without having to take additional coursework or go through a lot of red-tape in order to work.

A second solution would be government backed tax incentives for health care staff to volunteer their time and services. As a single male nursing student, I know that when I enter the workforce, my income will be heavily taxed due to increased salary and no dependents. I would definitely volunteer my time in exchange for a tax break.

Finally, I would heavily invest in medical technology and research. In a time of great technological advancement, the internet and the emergence of biotechnology, there is room for virtual care and diagnosis. System could be developed wherein vitals, symptoms and signs were collected by a staff that did not have to be trained to the level of a medical doctor and this information could then be reviewed by an MD to assess and diagnose. This would allow physicians to treat and lot more patients then the current requirement to visually inspect each patient. While this might seem outside the realm of acceptance in developed countries like the US and France, countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa would benefit from whatever care was available.

References

Health Workforce. (n.d.). WHO | World Health Organization. Retrieved February 15, 2013, from http://www.who.int/gho/health_workforce/en/index.html