Human trafficking has increasingly been recognized as a Global Health Issue. Unfortunately, wealthier nations have placed different priorities on the problem than do underserved communities. In addition, global health lawmaking is dominated by the interests of wealthy nations, leading to skewed priorities. But the problem does not stop there. Human trafficking is becoming a bigger issue around the world. To address this, the Legal Framework for Global Health Governance must be strengthened.
Maldistribution of healthcare workers is a major challenge to improving access to care for underserved populations
The global health workforce is in short supply, causing a shortage. According to the World Health Organization, the shortage will reach 12.9 million by 2035, up from 7.2 million today. The Joint Learning Initiative and WHO have estimated that a global shortage of healthcare workers could reach four million by 2025. This misalignment between health workers and the population is one of the major challenges to improving access to care for underserved populations.
Healthcare workforce shortages have been a persistent problem in the United States. Rural areas tend to be more affected by the shortage than urban areas. Rural areas have higher concentrations of minority and low-income residents. Because of this, healthcare education programs may be lacking in rural areas. This can limit access to care. Therefore, there is a need to improve the availability of healthcare professionals in rural areas.
Human trafficking is increasingly recognized as a global public health problem
Over the past decade, human trafficking has gained international attention. Prior to this, the issue was mostly focused on forced sex work or domestic servitude. But today, human trafficking is a global problem, affecting a variety of sectors. For example, labour-related trafficking occurs in mining, agriculture, and manufacturing. Children and adolescents who are homeless are particularly vulnerable to human trafficking. They are often targeted at bus and mall terminals.
Currently, the issue affects people of all races and ethnic backgrounds, with no racial or ethnic group untouched. It is particularly prevalent in poorer countries. Moreover, it affects vulnerable groups, including migrants, the LGBTQ community, and survivors of violence. Trafficking may be a result of organized crime or perpetrated by individual actors. As a result, identifying the underlying factors for trafficking is essential for preventing the epidemic and ensuring the safety of vulnerable individuals.
Wealthy nations’ skewed priorities in global health lawmaking
There are a number of reasons why wealthy nations should increase their investments in global health. The first is that such investments would reduce the burden of infectious diseases on developed countries, thereby promoting their economic interests and global security. However, these reasons are not sufficient to encourage these countries to increase their investments in global health. They must also change their priorities in ways that are more in line with the needs of poorer countries.
As the USG has increased its role in global health policy making, it has tended to prioritize economic liberation and the privatization of public health. However, this trend has changed in recent years, with the United States focusing more on the r&d in the area of global health. However, the disproportionately high priority given to global health by wealthy nations has led to a disproportionately high cost of care and poorer health outcomes.
Legal framework for global health governance
The book presents a legal framework for infectious disease governance that can address the challenges associated with infectious disease pandemics. It focuses on the West African Ebola crisis of 2014 as a case study to illustrate the principles involved. It is a part of a larger collaborative project on international health governance. It provides a useful introduction to the subject. This edited volume aims to help governments and international organizations to implement their own health policies.
The 1982 Plan of Action for Implementation of the Global Strategy for Health for All explicitly included a shared responsibility provision. It stated that member states must mobilize resources and identify external funds to help low-income countries to address their health problems. Developed countries will transfer these funds to developing countries and review the nature of these transfers. In contrast, the WHO guidance on UHC mentions only that some low-income countries require assistance from other countries.
