Global Health Issues

A study carried out to investigate the plight of global health reveals that it is at its utmost disaster. The study shows that the new skills brought about by science and medicine have failed to attend to the needs of the global population. Although outstanding enhancements have been prepared in the health condition globally over the last century, these improvements have not met the needs of everyone. The reason behind this is because of the different living standard in different countries.

It is believed that the major risk to the existing and developing health disaster tend to be those obliged to societal determinants confirmed to harmfully affect people’s health including poverty and perilous living and effective surroundings. Global health disorder is brought about by the weak health schemes, world wide dearths and disparities in the health staff, among others. (Schnurr et al 398)

As one of the most alarming disasters in the global health, hunger has done a lot in slowing down many countries in the world. One of the affected countries by the global health issues is Haiti, my country of birth. Haiti is believed to be one of the countries that have never enjoyed freedom for a long time now. Many may wonder why there is so much hunger in the country; the reason behind it is because of the poverty that has dominated the country.

Poverty in Haiti is exceptional due to poor governance, education, and the continued earthquakes (Shah para. 5). Lack of support in the agricultural sector has also contributed a lot towards hunger in country, a position that Jacques Diouf, the Director General of FAO agrees with. According to Diouf, “ economic and social reconstruction of the country needs a restoration of food production and massive investment in rural area” (Jere 1752). For this reason, you will find almost everybody in Haiti is affected either directly or indirectly.

The research done shows that in the 21^st century, hunger is the leading risk to health worldwide. A report published by the World Health Organization reveals that hunger kills more people than cancer, heart diseases, AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis combined. It is also estimated that in every four children, one is underweight.

Due to the underweight condition, a child is likely to die from infectious diseases as a result of a weakened immunity. According to one of the American researcher, “the hungry are the poorest of the poor, and enhancements in poverty don’t automatically reach them” (Dickenson 7) as it has been in Haiti. The impact of hunger can bring about poverty, malnutrition, HIV/AIDS among many more.

Poverty

Poverty has a great impact on the global health issue as many people know. The researcher has clearly proven that, if you are poor you may have nothing to eat. Unlike in Haiti, many people are poor due to the inadequate support from the government that has not been stable for quite sometime due to the alarming issues that arises in the country continually. It is believed that the greatest number of people in Haiti live below the poverty line causing the speedy growth of poverty in the country. (Jere, 1754)

Malnutrition

Malnutrition is not something new to the people of Haiti. Research shows that Haitians are chronically underfed due to lack of enough food. Under nutrition has an effect on the immune structure mounting to the occurrences and sternness of diseases and is an allied issue in approximately all children deaths (Dickenson 8)

HIV/AIDS

This disease will always withstand due to lack of money which is caused by the poor economy in the country. In this case, you find many people indulging in prostitution in search of money, and this acts as one of the most common ways of contracting HIV/Aids. The behavior has spread rapidly due to poor governance, lack of enough to eat, and education. In this situation, you will find that little is done to kick out the disease out of the country (Dickenson, 9)

Current aid organizational

It is for these reasons that some organizations have come together to help this country from this alarming situation. These organizations are doing much in educating the people of Haiti, bringing about new technologies, and changing the economy that had drastically deteriorated. Some of these organizations include Students for Global Citizenship Club (S4GC), Boston Aid Groups Lead, Cell phones help aid group, and cholera intensifies struggle for aid group, among others (Jere 1754).

Students for Global Citizenship Club (S4GC)

This organization has done a lot in promoting the responsiveness of Haitians regarding global matters and movements dealing in both activism and volunteerism. The aim is to develop the lives of others. For this reason, the people of Haiti have learned how to help one another in times of need.

They have also learned the need of coming together and forming organizations that would take the country to great heights. Despite of all the challenges faced by Haitians, they have something to enjoy after having centers that can now cater for their needs especially in terms of activism and leadership (Schnurr et al 398).

Boston Aid Groups Lead

This organization has helped Haitians a lot by way of saving them during the earthquake. The organization also funded the victims of the earthquake. In doing so, the Haitians could not feel left behind from the comfort they received from this organization that was willing to heal their wounds even during these hard times.

This organization has been doing wonders even in providing medical treatment for the injured people during any disaster. During these times of disaster, the organization does not forget to advance nutritional aid and provide clean water for them to drink. This has developed and empowered the Haitians and as a result, they are now better able to do the work by themselves. (Schnurr, etal, 399)

Cell phones help aid group

Cell phone helped the Haitians a lot during this tough period. The main aim of this organization was to collect any relevant information that could assist the people whenever necessary. Any news that arose in the country was easily transmitted and also stern measures were taken immediately or before anything wrong happened.

This technology made the people feel connected and by so doing they were eager to take part in the organization that finally left them a new knowledge. This technology simplified things since previously people could walk for long distances in order to pass a simple information. Now they have the chance to make use of the available technology, effectively saving on time and cost (Dickenson, 10).

Cholera intensifies struggle for aid group

Due to the continued lack of proper diet, water pollution and education, among others, diseases had a wide path to enter into the people of Haiti. This organization was there to provide the most basic necessities in fighting any kind of epidemic that could arise in the country. The organization was there to help and stop the spread of any disease, educate the people about appropriate hygiene and humanizing dumping of unwanted waste. This was great to the country for it made the people civilized by learning of all these (Schnurr et al 399).

Illiteracy is among the leading issues associated with health problems. The level of illiteracy in Haiti is high, meaning that people cannot practice healthy eating habits. In Haiti the discrepancy between the rich and the poor is very high. This discrepancy has led to the increase in health related problems among the poor.

According to Kendall (293) in Montrouis, Haiti has a club med that hosts the affluent people of the society and tourists while just a few kilometers away, we have open markets characterized by raw meat, flies, homeless people, malnourished family. This is a scenario of the rich bordering the poor who live in adverse poverty and health related issues. Haiti is not only the poorest state in the western region, but it is also unable to feed its citizens.

This exposes its people to malnutrition related diseases like Marasmus and Kwashiorkor, among other conditions. According to Kendall (293), statistics show that an estimated 40 percent or more of the children in Haiti are chronically malnourished. The statistics also show that the eating habits of more that 80% of the Haitians are poor and that they take less than 2,200 calories a day. The discrepancy is also seen in the income sector where the poor are also the low income earners who cannot afford food and medical services.

In poor nations, the quality of healthcare is low and people hardly receive it. Most countries in the developing world are faced with this issue. The dissemination of health care facilities and healthcare is expensive to deliver to the people. The cost of medicine, medical care, insurance, and accessibility to the healthcare infrastructure are the drawbacks that hinder the deliverance of adequate and quality healthcare.

Hospitals lack enough medical services providers and health doctors. According to Goldstein (41), Haiti is one of the poorest nations that provide low quality and inadequate healthcare and its citizens are affected by this. Statistics by the WHO estimate that for every 100,000 Haitians, only eight doctors and ten nurses (Goldstein 41) are available. This has been recorded as the lowest ratio in the healthcare sector in the world, and hence a global issue.

The scenario is worse even in other parts of the world whereby most of the clinics, national hospitals and even the health doctors located in urban centers cannot be accessed easily by the low income earners and those living in the rural areas. The rural dwellers have limited access to medical and healthcare facilities. A study done in Haiti by the World Health Organization has shown that rural dwellers in Haiti face this problem and it has become a major concern to the aid and humanitarian organizations.

Low life expectancy has become a health issue in the world. Most of the nations especially the ones in the low economies are faced with low life expectancy. In Haiti, life expectancy is as low as 53 years for the women and 50 for the men (Goldstein 41). Infant mortality death is also high with many children dying before reaching their first and fifth birthdays.

The report shows that for every 1000 children, 74 die before they celebrate their first birthday. Their mothers also die, with more than 520 women dying during childbirth. This has been attributed to low income while inaccessibility to the healthcare facilities has also contributed to the observed scenario. A comparison of the situation in Haiti with that of the United States reveals an existing gap between the developing and the development countries.

Sanitation has become a global health issue that affects most societies in the world. Sanitation facilities like sewerage and toilets and access to cleaner and safer water are not well accessed in the developing countries. This is attributed to some of the factors and issues discussed in this paper like poverty, low income, discrepancy between the poor and the rich and management of the economies of these countries. In Haiti, access to proper sanitation is worse given that it is an island and was recently hit by a devastating earthquake.

Drinking water in Haiti is not clean is mainly drawn from rivers polluted with industrial and human wastes (Goldstein 41). Diseases such as typhoid, cholera and hookworm, among others, are therefore common in the country. This has affected the population and become an issue of concern to the humanitarian and aids organization. Malaria which is a killer disease in Africa is also a huge concern in Haiti because of poor drainage system and malnutrition that is known to weaken the body making it vulnerable to disease.

Observations in global health issues

In general the global health issues have a great impact on many countries especially Haiti. The reason behind this is because the country has never enjoyed the fruits of its labor, unlike the other countries. Some of the impacts like poverty, malnutrition, HIV/AIDS have greatly contributed to a slowdown in the economic growth of the country. Other impacts like poor sanitation facilities, poor quality healthcare facilities, discrepancies between the poor and the rich and low life expectancy have been part of the health issues in Haiti.

The paper summarizes how by the help of these organizations, the poor Haiti now have something to smile about. Research indicates that Haitians did not have something to smile about until these organizations stepped in. These organizations have changed the country dramatically leaving with them something they can smile for.

Conclusion

Hunger is a global health issues that can leave someone with no joy at all. Hunger has proven to be the leading disaster as global health issue of major concern to governments, and the situation is no different in Haiti. The paper clearly shows how hunger has resulted in to the spread of HIV/AIDs, malnutrition and poverty, among others, in Haiti.

The paper also shows that discrepancy between the poor and the rich contributes to the poor health in Haiti. Quality of healthcare and healthcare facilities has also contributed to most of global health issues like malnutrition, low maternity and mortality rate. Sanitation that includes sewerage, toilet and drinking water are common issues that are inhibited in the world as well as in Haiti.

Works Cited

Dickenson, Nancy. Global Health Issues and Challenges. Journal of Nursing Scholarship 36.1 (2004): 6-10. Print.

Goldstein, Margaret J. Haiti in Pictures. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Co. 2005. Print

Jere, Behrman, “The Economic Rationale for Investing in Nutrition in Developing Countries”, World Development 11. 11(npg): 1749-1993. Print.

Kendall, Diana, E. Sociology in Our Times. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2008. Print.

Labonte, Ronald. “Setting global health research priorities. Burden of disease and inherently global health issues should both be considered”, BMJ Journals 326. 7392 (2003):326- 722. Print.

Schnurr, Paula, Kaloupek, Danny, Sandra Bloom, Stuart Turner & Kaltman, Stacey. “Grand Challenges in Global Health”, Science journal 302.5644 (2003): 398-399.Print.

Shah, Anup. . 2010. Web.