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PUBLIC HEALTH IN A FLAT WORLD

This Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller from 2005 explores the opportunities and challenges of globalization, with a focus on trade, commerce, and the impact on public health. The book highlights the effects of globalization on consumer behaviors, the spread of chronic diseases, and the need for a global public policy to address these issues. It emphasizes the interdependence of countries and organizations in addressing universal health concerns and proposes innovative strategies for healthcare delivery. The book also discusses the cost of pandemics and calls for global efforts to protect vulnerable populations. It concludes by urging public health professionals to think big and act smart in a borderless world.

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PUBLIC HEALTH IN A FLAT WORLD

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  1. PUBLIC HEALTH IN A FLATWORLD A Singaporean’s Perspective

  2. Pulitzer Prize winner Bestseller released in 2005 Focus on trade and commerce Opportunities and challenges of GLOBALIZATION THOMAS FRIEDMAN

  3. GLOBALIZATION • Not just a geopolitical policy • It is a phenomenon • Confluence of new technologies • “…it presents 2 contradictory faces – new technologies, greater wealth and rising living standards for millions of people; and at the same time, new instabilities, new risks, new uncertainties…” Renato Ruggiero (1998) Former DG, WTO

  4. DG, WHO Dr Margaret ChanSingapore 2007 “Globalization has helped spread a costly epidemic of chronic diseases to the developing world. Consumer behaviors the world over are being shaped by global forces of production, trade, marketing and distribution. In the developing world, a strong national asset – the healthy diet and physical activity associated with rural farming – is being lost.”

  5. Mass travel Mass production Mass communications Mass transfer of risks, including harmful lifestyles The MASS Effect

  6. GLOBAL HEALTH • The original idea of InternationalHealth – flow of information and resources from developed to developing countries • Global Health emphasizes the interdependence of countries and organizations on universal concerns

  7. A new vision A research intensive culture An innovative healthcare delivery strategy A “global public policy” What we need…..

  8. The cost of a PANDEMIC • World Bank estimates loss of $800bn worldwide, and greatest cause will arise from uncoordinated efforts to avoid infection (2005) • “It is also an issue of self-interest; can the world afford to leave vast populations vulnerable to the high morbidity and mortality that inevitably accompany pandemics?Is it not in our collective best interest to strive for more equitable protection?”DG WHO (2007)

  9. 1) Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger* • 2) Achieve universal primary education • 3) Promote gender equality & empower women • 4) Reduce child mortality* • 5) Improve maternal health* • 6) Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and others* • 7) Ensure environmental sustainability* • 8) Develop global partnership for development* * Health-related as identified by WHO

  10. An assessment by the DG, WHO (2008): • “For many priority diseases, trends such as globalization and urbanization have introduced a commonality to health problems seen in every part of the world.Among the health-related MDGs, there appears to be difficulty in reducing maternal mortality. The causes are broad and closely linked to social and economic factors. There is no single pill, bednet or vaccine that can guarantee results.Clearly, the problem of weak health systems includes the shortage of human resources as well as issues of infrastructure and financing.”

  11. Contributions of PH Professionals • Handling the Information Explosion“The world of 2020 will be a global knowledge village of 8 bn people…”Using the skills of health, information and risk assessment as well as communications – to guide public action

  12. Contributions of PH Professionals • Creating New KnowledgePromoting Evidence-based HealthcareDeveloping competence in population-based research, using the latest biomedical tools with rigorous study designs

  13. “..it is abottomlesspit of panicand despair.” We will have to do morewith less – evidence-basedcost-effectivehealth care. What do we do in such times

  14. Public Health in Asia • We have issues in public housing, environmental sanitation, infectious disease control, health promotion, innovations in healthcare & financing • Combining local experience with an international perspective • “…the health and well-being of people around the world depend critically on the performance of the health systems that serve them.”

  15. Our role in capacity-building • Training is key • New areas of concern: obesity, bioterrorism, flu-pandemic • Plugging the “gaps” in management • Developing core skills in PH • Making a significant contribution by equipping and encouraging a professional worker with a broad understanding of health issues and the skills to deal with disease prevention, health promotion and the delivery of health services

  16. CONCLUSION • THINK BIG:Challenge of a borderless world • ACT SMART:Show competence in a focused manner Our future in a flat world

  17. Are we ready?

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