The article is talking about the determinants of the population and individual health. The article explains that good health for both the individuals and the public is a resource that is valuable and that good health should be the primary goal of every country. According to the article the determinants go beyond the activities that are engaged in the health sector and thus explains that the economic and social factors are the main determinants. The article supports academic work done by other scholars and organization that health is not only defined as lack of diseases but is defined as the situation of mental, social and physical well being of an individual.
Macro-level factors such as culture, society, economy and the environment together with the middle-level factors and policies and the micro factors such as individual's behavior, lifestyle, and constitution are the determinants of health as per the article. According to the report, the microelement is highly dependent on the middle level and micro factors. The article says that health is influenced by external actions and policies from the sector of health and that have negative or positive effects on the health determinants usually shown by the health status of the individuals as well as the health outcomes. In the article, the influence of the external actions and policies can be direct and easy to predict while in other cases they are difficult to forecast and are indirect.
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The article explains that health is equally important as other factors in contributing to the achieving of goals in other sectors such as the economy. Good health means high education level and economic growth in a country. With poor health, there is retarded economic growth as a result of reduced productivity of labor and a reduced workforce. According to the article, good health of individuals of a country means a population that is also health and hence a stable economy. In developing countries health is the central pillar for social and economic development while it is the sustaining factor of proper standards of living for already developed countries.
The article argues that improved and better health must be the main goal of a country and the most convenient way of doing that is through the adoption of the Health policies approach which identifies health as something that should be considered in all policy-making decisions. Health should not only be influenced by the internal activities of a country but also by the external factors. External factors such as viruses, parasites, and bacteria affect the health of a nation and do not depend on that country's politics or diplomacy. The article explains that such can be from another country neighboring a country hence influencing the health of that country and it is, therefore, essential to ensure that the neighboring countries are prosperous mainly in the health sector if that country is concerned of its prosperity too.
Globalization of health is discussed in the article where the article explains that the need for collaboration between nations in finding solutions to problems affecting the entire world. The article argues that globalization reduces the barriers of space, ideas between people and time leading to a world where no country is a risk to another country’s health. Globalization of health can be realized if every individual would view health as a public good for the entire world where all nations would protect it from any harm. The article explains that diplomacy and foreign policies regarding health are essential in the case of dependency of a country’s health on that of another country and go hand in hand with the efforts of a country’s policy. The health of the entire world can be promoted and improved through orientation of health and the foreign policies to be in line with the interests of a country.
The article identifies that the primary challenge facing globalization of health is the fact that foreign policies have not considered health to be essential. Therefore argues that revolution of politics can be of help regarding this challenge by transforming foreign systems for health benefits or transforming health for foreign policies benefits which in short is health diplomacy and foreign policy.
The article concludes that health diplomacy globally and cooperation of all countries in the health sector can solve the problem facing the health security of all nations and that the problem should not limit terming of health as a global public good.
The article has well enough explained the determinants of health enlightening the reader on other factors other than the activities in the health sector that influence good health. The article has brought out the social and economic factors that affect health. The article has also indicated the difference between good health for an individual and that of a nation clearly explaining to the reader the importance of focusing more on the populations' health rather than the individual health. It has explained well that it should be the goal of every nation to ensure the entire nation is in good health. The article has used work done by other authors to inform the reader about the connection between the social, economic, population and individual factors.
The article is written mainly to help the reader in understanding the importance of factoring in health in the making of foreign policies has been clearly brought out. The author Ilona being an advisor of health policy for international and national organizations must have come across many challenges facing those nations ranging from outbreaks of diseases from other countries to problems resulting from lack of consideration of health as a public good. The article brings out in the best of ways the importance of all nations taking into account all the activities involving health that other countries carry out. This has come out as a strength of the article. The article has also explained well the steps that can be taken to widen the range of foreign policy with an excellent example of the Oslo Ministerial declaration. It describes the benefit of integrating policies nationally and enhancing cooperation globally.
The article has not explained to the reader how the social and economic factors determine the individuals’ and population’s health of a country and have not made it clear to the reader on the activities of the health sector that affect the health of population and individuals. Equally, it has only stated that there is evidence to show this which it has not quoted. The article has also mentioned that many policies affect and direct the conditions of living of individuals that it has not given such examples. Other than stating the examples of micro, macro and middle-level factors affecting health the article should also have explained their connection by clearly describing how the microelements are dependent on average and macro factors. The article should also have supported its argument that health the factors above determine the health of individuals and population through some other scholarly work or using statistics to prove the argument.
The article has also discussed something regarding the contribution of health to education and economic growth of a country which it only supports with a mere sentence of evidence being available. It should have indicated other authors work and also give examples of countries where weak health system has led to slow economic growth. The article authors seem to be too sure that health has not been factored in health foreign policy making which they have not supported. It is likely not to be true given the many health international organizations available and have been formed over the recent past years. It has also contradicted its statement on the degree of attention given to health by foreign policy where it states that, today it is not known while it has also indicated that health not being in the heart of foreign policy. Despite explaining the foreign policy and the step to widen its scope, the article has not revealed the challenge facing health diplomacy globally. The report has also shown how health diplomacy is good based on only one declaration signed by ministers from just a few countries which is not enough evidence to prove that. In conclusion, the article, in general, has enlightened the reader well on the basics of health, health determinants, health policies, and health diplomacy.
Reference
Kickbusch, I., & Erk, C. (2009). Global health diplomacy: The new recognition of health in foreign policy. Realizing the right to health, Swiss Human Rights Book , 3 , 517.
