Child Mortality and Maternal Rate

A substantial number of global health studies place an emphasis on inequality, as well as socioeconomic characteristics and inequality. Nonetheless, there is a considerable link between local and global health indices.

Maternal and child health, in particular, has gotten a significant deal of attention from the government, health groups, and the general public. The desire to reduce both maternal and child mortality is a distinguishing feature of this.

According to the United Nations, over 6.3 million children under the age of five died in 2013. (The Economist, 2015). In addition to that, 289, 000 women died from either pregnancy or child birth. Four fifths of the maternal and child mortality are recorded in Southern Asia or Sub-Saharan Africa.

In a hundred years, there has been a major change in the maternal and child death. At the beginning of the 20th century, a majority of the births were taking place at homes. By 1940, the number had increased to 40 %.

The World Health Organization (2016) says that 99 % of maternal deaths take place in the developing countries. The institution adds that 830 women die each day from preventable conditions that are associated with childbirth as well as pregnancy. The risk is higher in the case of adolescents.

The Impact of Local Healthcare Decisions on Global Healthcare

There is a strong correlation between local and global health. Globalization has increased the movement of goods and the people, and therein lays the challenge of controlling disease. Having stated that, globalization has an impact on the individual, healthcare system, or even an entire population.

There are cultural impediments that make it difficult to have harmonized global health policies. For instance, in rural India, two thirds of individuals with eye problems do not seek treatment in the first place. Similarly, some African communities believe that AIDS is not caused by scientific reasons but rather religious or cultural reasons. In such a case, patients resort to unconventional methods of seeking help such as visiting a witchdoctor.

The lifestyle of the local population has a direct impact on health. If the lifestyle of a certain community is nomadism, then it becomes very difficult to do a follow up on the medical interventions. Similarly, the vegetarian community may need to be more conscious about its diet in order to cover up for lack of animal protein.

However, the local parameters can also work to the advantage of the health policy. For example, certain disease causing can only survive in certain geographical areas. If they can be contained in those areas, then there is no risk of spreading.

Factors That Impact Health and Health Care Delivery

Financial reasons play a critical role when it comes to the delivery of healthcare. For example, it is not easy for citizens of poor countries to afford surgery. Similarly, in poor countries, the distance between the homes and the nearest health care center is not small. In such a case, one only visits the healthcare if necessary.

Second, in some developing countries, there is a big distance between the homes and the nearest healthcare facilities. This is all the more difficult when it comes to responding to labor pains. In addition to that, harsh weather conditions such as heavy rains have can disrupt infrastructure thereby making it difficult to access healthcare facilities.

Third, inadequate services at the healthcare facility are an impediment to proper healthcare. If the hospitals are under stocked, then it goes without saying that such facilities are not in a position to offer optimal services.

Lastly, some individuals and communities do not have the right information concerning certain services. This is a great barrier in that they may not realize the danger of inaction. In addition to that, poor literacy levels lead to poor healthcare options.

Widespread and Equitable Distribution of Resources Eliminate Maternal and Child Deaths

There are a number of social determinants that are going to shape global health. To start with, better technology is going to translate to better ways of disease management. In such a case, it is always easier to save lives faster. In addition to that, treatment is less tedious and carries less pain on the patient.

However, the future is not as optimist for the poor countries. The youth bulge is going to mean a strain in health care delivery. Similarly, countries such as Kenya continue to record cases of hunger and the malnutrition that comes with it. Poor nutrition is going to translate to more vulnerability on diseases.

Again, poor countries will find it difficult enjoy the services of enough healthcare professionals. For example, the healthcare human resource faces two main challenges: an increase in population translates to a high doctor patient ratio and the brain drain of doctors and nurses leaves the healthcare institutions wanting.

Communities living in areas with limited resources are likely to live lives which are less healthy as well as shorter. Similarly, minority groups or other disenfranchised groups have a lower chance of getting proper healthcare. It should be noted that healthcare policies cannot be divorced from the political environment. If a country has a stable political environment, then there is all the likelihood that it will have a better healthcare system.

The Role of Altruistic Organizations in Health and Healthcare Practices

Since the onset of the 17th century, social scientists as well as philosophers have attempted to justify the significance of altruism into evolutionary theory and the human social model. Most specifically, research in this field has illuminated the perceived benefits of altruism.

Volunteering plays a critical role to the individual, the local population, and the global community. A volunteer benefits from lower lever of depression, manageable cholesterol, and enhanced weight management.

Altruistic organizations have carried out transnational health initiatives which have been founded on local as well as national foundation (Yach and Bettcher, 1998). At the center of this collaboration is the principle of tackling a shared problem. Similarly, a number of organizations are on the frontline when it comes to global health. For instance, the Global Fund, has played a critical role in tuberculosis, AIDS, and malaria.

Interventions

Various organizations have made meetings that decry the impact of globalization. However, there is one thing that health professionals have accepted- globalization is not going anywhere, it is here to stay. Having realized that, the pragmatic option is to counter the negative effects of globalization as far as health is concerned.

Most of the cases of maternal and child deaths are preventable. States and international organizations are making aggressive attempts in vaccination as one of the most sustainable ways of disease control.

The Economists notes that since 2010, 2.4 deaths have been averted in 49 poor countries (2015). These includes 120, 000 women, 1.6 m children, and 650, 000 newborns. This is in line with the UN Millennium Development Goals.

A number of countries have appreciated the decline in the maternal deaths. Therefore, they have rallied behind the Sustainable Development Goal 3 in order to reduce the mortality rate. The goal aims at reducing the maternal death to less than seventy for every 100, 000 births (WHY, 2016).

Institutions of higher learning should come up with better health care solutions. Taking learning away from the comfort of the university to a more challenging and practical environment ensures better learning outcomes. For example, the University of Minnesota offers a course where half of the class is students and the remaining half the community. The class is held in the community (Minnesota).

The global health actors should make a deliberate attempt to partner with the local health professions. There are two main advantages of this. First, a local doctor can understand the local disease environment and the medical history of a certain community. Second, there is all the probability that a local health professional is going to understand the local language.

Lastly, a significant number of cases in child mortality are due to human neglect or ignorance. Consequently, effective public awareness programs educate the parents and the caregivers on the most effective ways of bringing up their children. In connection to this, general awareness on the things to avoid during pregnancy or childbirth helps mothers make more informed decisions that will not lead to death.

Conclusion

The healthcare process is complex in nature. Most of the maternal deaths have taken place in areas of low resource. Whereas there has been a lot of improvement in healthcare, local, national, and international healthcare professionals and stakeholders must do more in order to provide better healthcare.

References

Yach, D., & Bettcher, D. (1998). The globalization of public health, II: The convergence of self

interest and altruism. American journal of public health, 88(5), 738-744.

Jay, J. (March 12, 2015). Maternal and child mortality. The Economist.

The World Health Organization. (November, 2016). Maternal mortality. Derived from:

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs348/en/

Accessed: 26 September, 2017.