WorldView Magazine - Fall 2009 - (Page 10)

Health WHY INVESTMENT IN HEALTH IS CRITICAL NOW Amid economic crisis, an opportunity for reform by Joel Lamstein, Carrie Hessler Radelet, Sharon Stash t is a scene that is played out every day throughout the developing world. A distraught father in rural Nepal seeks medical help for his five-year-old daughter, Basanti. She has acquired dysentery from the stream that provides drinking water for her village. Within five, short days Basanti withers, losing consciousness to dehydration. Her father’s long walk to the health clinic is unsuccessful: the part-time health worker is away and the clinic is out of antibiotics. Yet, her father persists. He goes to the local medical store and purchases ineffective drugs from a man with no training. He also buys life-saving oral rehydration salts, but efforts to revive the child are too late. Despite her father’s efforts, Basanti dies in his arms. Basanti’s father did all he could to save his daughter. But the overstretched health system failed her: the clinic was far away, the health worker was gone and effective medicines were not in stock. He was one of the lucky ones who used his salary to pay for health care—others in his community might have had to leverage landholdings to borrow money. The sad truth is that despite the success of numerous public health programs worldwide, much of the world’s population still lacks access to primary health care and services remain seriously under-financed. The economic crisis and health sector reform are now at the front and center of the US political arena, and the skyrocketing cost of health care threatens to undermine the chances of economic recovery at home. It is a debate that is not limited to the industrialized world. Developing countries are also facing economic crisis. The current economic crisis in developing countries is expected to 10 Fall 2009 I have a negative impact on national health budgets which, facing lower revenues, will feel pressure to reduce spending on health, shifting the burden of service delivery to already struggling households. The impact on future commitments from donor governments, multilaterals and private foundations, which have invested heavily in health in the past, is also in question, as these agencies also face budgetary pressures. The affects of the crisis are likely to be particularly acute among the most vulnerable populations, particularly women and children. The most immediate impact has been slower growth in household incomes and remittances from overseas and increasing unemployment in poor families, many of whom face rising food prices and steep out-of-pocket payments for health services. Countries around the world—our own included—are being called upon to view the economic crisis as an opportunity to pursue much needed health reform in order to expand access to services, control costs and improve quality. So what are the steps that can be taken to improve health services and protect vulnerable populations? Because it is always less expensive to prevent—rather than cure—illness, a focus on disease prevention and primary health care is paramount. The crisis presents an opportunity to target effective interventions towards those who are most vulnerable with basic health services such as maternal and child health care, family planning, immunization, and food security. A second step is to strengthen health systems, to enable countries to control costs, improve management and fortify human resources to improve the operational efficiency of service delivery. It also means more actively engaging communities to improve access to services in the most remote communities. A third step is to strengthen monitoring and evaluation to improve performance and ensure that resources are used most wisely for programs that achieve health impact. Lastly, donor agencies must maintain their commitments to health. Slashing funding at this time could jeopardize the health of millions of people and compromise the development gains of the past decade. In this issue of WorldView, we look at programs and approaches that can make a dramatic difference in the health and well-being of families in developing nations. Whether connecting with Rwandan faith communities to address malaria or using cell phone technology in Namibia to disseminate health information, practitioners in the field are using all the tools at their disposal to improve health services. We also see how Peace Corps experience can inspire Volunteers to pursue careers in the health field, bringing their skills to villages and clinics in Africa as well as the streets of San Francisco. In this time of economic crisis, we must continue strong momentum for better health. For families like Basanti’s, it is a matter of life or death. Joel Lamstein is the President of John Snow, Inc. (JSI) and an active supporter of NPCA. Carrie Hessler Radelet (Samoa 81-83, Headquarters 84-86) is an NPCA advisory board member and Director of the Washington DC office of JSI, and Sharon Stash (Nepal 84-87) is Prevention Advisor for JSI’s USAIDfunded AIDSTAR-One Project and an NPCA Board Member.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of WorldView Magazine - Fall 2009

WorldView Magazine - Fall 2009
Contents
President's Letter
Your Turn
Are You Connected Yet? Join Africa Rural Connect
Group News Highlights
Why Investment in Health Is Critical Now
New Hope and Lessons from Rwanda
Turning a Blind Eye
A Question of Capacity
CN U HLP ME? I HAVE A ??
When Water and Sanitation Are a Priority
Could “Peace Care” Lessen the Global Burden of Disease?
One, Two, Three
Translating International Health to Health Care at Home
Turning Tragedy to Opportunity
Costa Rica: Finding My Religion
St. Lucia: Learning about Hunger
Seven Dusty Notebooks
Peace Corps Service 2.0
The Peace Corps Community Making a Difference
Community News
Advertiser Index

WorldView Magazine - Fall 2009

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