.Commercialisation........... .and Health

In today’s globalised world, health and economics are inextricably bound together:  A trade agreement on one continent can cause a farmer and her family to slip in or out of poverty on another.  For millions of Americans who cannot afford health insurance, a diagnosis of cancer can mean bankruptcy or worse.  Even the human devastation of 25 million people in sub-Saharan Africa living with HIV/AIDS is regularly seen translated into х billion dollars of lost GDP.  Health worker migration, the focus if the WHO’s 2006 World Health Report and all too often a crippling drain on developing countries, is driven by economic inequalities.

Health services around the world are in a state of transformation.  Societies emerging from periods of conflict, like Somaliland, Afghanistan and East Timor are making decisions as to the form their rebuilt health systems will take.  Eastern Europe and Latin America are beginning to face the economic implications of an aging and sedentary population already causing huge challenges in Europe and Japan.  Corporate healthcare provision is advancing the world over, from microfinance projects in Africa to private finance initiatives (PFI) in the British NHS.  Can the idea of equitable healthcare for all be sustained in the face of these global transformations?

An understanding of health economics is vital to the globally-aware health professional.  Yet the reporting of the controversies surrounding this complex subject are often reliant on simplified and polarised views, making it hard to understand what is really happening and who is most affected.

Alma Mata is a network of over 850 health professionals, students and allied disciplines interested in global health education and training.  We hosted a two-day conference “Global Health Directions 3: Commercialisation and Health” to introduce delegates to the field of health economics in an international context.  The key themes, current trends and critical issues which will affect the choices delegates make during their future careers in global health were explored from a variety of perspectives.  A deeper understanding of the relationship between economics and health inspired conference-goers to strengthen their desire to work in global health and hopefully helped provide the clarity they need to take informed stands on the issues surrounding commercialisation.