Global health guides

Abstract

View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download (PPT)Given the challenge of improving global health in the 21st century, some commentators conclude that aid for public-health programmes is unlikely to ever be more than a band-aid. But Case Studies in Global Health offers an optimistic counterpoint to such critics by showcasing 20 “success stories” that prove major public-health initiatives can work.Ruth Levine highlights aspects of public-health management that are needed to achieve such success. Expert consensus can be vital, and rigorous project evaluation should be a prerequisite to health-care programmes. Good local management and community participation are also key. These are much more than just feel-good stories. The working group that selected these cases for analysis chose them on the basis of strict criteria, such as being large scale, lasting longer than 5 years, and being costeffective.As a companion, Richard Skolnik's Essentials of Global Health is so comprehensive that it will be key reading in international health. In accessible language, he explains why good health is crucial to economic development, what indicators help track changes in global health, and requirements for good health systems. Approaches to solving world health problems must be underpinned by good ethics and human rights guidelines, he says, and local practices and cultures must not be ignored. Skolnik looks in detail at children's and women's health, and at the different challenges of tackling communicative and non-communicative diseases in developing countries. He also maps out the key players in global health and looks ahead to future challenges.Levine's book is by turns motivational and informative, but also practical—the contributors are under no illusions that getting funding for health-care problems that aren't high profile can be hugely difficult. But, as these books point out, if humanitarian ideals aren't enough of an incentive for action, the knowledge that healthier people mean healthier economies should motivate stakeholders to act. Given the challenge of improving global health in the 21st century, some commentators conclude that aid for public-health programmes is unlikely to ever be more than a band-aid. But Case Studies in Global Health offers an optimistic counterpoint to such critics by showcasing 20 “success stories” that prove major public-health initiatives can work. Ruth Levine highlights aspects of public-health management that are needed to achieve such success. Expert consensus can be vital, and rigorous project evaluation should be a prerequisite to health-care programmes. Good local management and community participation are also key. These are much more than just feel-good stories. The working group that selected these cases for analysis chose them on the basis of strict criteria, such as being large scale, lasting longer than 5 years, and being costeffective. As a companion, Richard Skolnik's Essentials of Global Health is so comprehensive that it will be key reading in international health. In accessible language, he explains why good health is crucial to economic development, what indicators help track changes in global health, and requirements for good health systems. Approaches to solving world health problems must be underpinned by good ethics and human rights guidelines, he says, and local practices and cultures must not be ignored. Skolnik looks in detail at children's and women's health, and at the different challenges of tackling communicative and non-communicative diseases in developing countries. He also maps out the key players in global health and looks ahead to future challenges. Levine's book is by turns motivational and informative, but also practical—the contributors are under no illusions that getting funding for health-care problems that aren't high profile can be hugely difficult. But, as these books point out, if humanitarian ideals aren't enough of an incentive for action, the knowledge that healthier people mean healthier economies should motivate stakeholders to act.