Question

Case Study: Global Healthcare Public Policy Imagine that in the near future, the global community has been wracked by successive crises including economic upheaval, severe food and water shortages, and attacks on human dignity. In response, nationwide grassroots movements of young people have elected members of congress and parliament who support restoring leadership throughout the world in the areas of health, freedom, and human rights. Groundswells invoking liberty and justice are sweeping Europe, Africa, South America, Oceania, and the United States. Prompted by this worldwide atmosphere of new hope, the United Nations is convening a World Congress of Present and Future Human Flourishing. Conference sessions will focus on the right to healthcare, health disparities/health inequities, emerging infectious diseases, food and water security, and mechanisms for global environmental and climate governance.

Ethical Analysis

1. Discuss the role of the principles of biomedical ethics in helping to establish a robust global healthcare community capable of providing services to all those in need.

2.Analyze the persistence of global undernutrition and poverty from the perspective of the biomedical ethical principles of autonomy and justice. Describe two global public policy solutions to meaningfully influence these social determinants of health.

3. Analyze the importance of helping to ensure optimal maternal and newborn health from the perspective of the biomedical ethical principles of autonomy and justice. Describe two global public policy solutions to meaningfully impact these social determinants of health.

Answer 1

1. Role of the Principles of Biomedical Ethics in establishing a robust global health care community:

Ethics are the standards that govern the conduct of a person , especially who is a member of a profession. Biomedical Ethics are the moral standards pertaining to the delivery of the health services and the conduct of the Healthcare professionals. It is the part of applied ethics and the Principles of Biomedical Ethics are used to aid the decision making process especially in case of an ethical dilemma in the Healthcare arena.

Principles of Biomedical Ethics such as justice , autonomy, Beneficience, Non- maleficence , Honesty and confidentiality etc. have a major role in establishing a robust global health care community capable of providing services to all those in need. Without the basic principles of ethics no organisation can work fairly. The global health care community has to work based on the Principles of Biomedical Ethics. The principle of justice , emphasise the equal and fair distribution of health services to all those who are in need. The principle of autonomy respect the individual's choice in receiving the treatment or service. Beneficience and non - maleficence ensures that the services from Global health care community does only 'good' and no harm should be imposed to the people in the public . Health care professionals involved in providing the health services to the people should be truthful and there should not be any false reassurance or false threatening. Also health care professionals must keep the confidentiality of the details of the patient and patient's condition.  

In total, to establish a robust global health care community that provides  health services , to those who are in need, in an equal and desirable way , the health care community  should function, fully based on the Principles of Biomedical Ethics.

2. Global undernutrion and poverty

Undernutrion occurs as a result of habitual intake of insufficient food consumption to provide dietary energy level to function actively. Poverty is one of the major cause of undernutrion. Statistics show that 8.9 % of world population is suffering with poverty and undernutrion, that is approximately 690 million people remains hungry every day. From the perspective of Biomedical Ethics,  autonomy and justice, unequal distribution of resources, food, money and health services causes the increased percentage of the prevalence of undernutrion and poverty. Provisions such as food , money and health services should be provided in an equal and desirable way by maintaining the Biomedical ethic ' Justice' . The principle 'Autonomy ' also emphasise to focus the respect for the individual who recieve these provisions. Each individual has the right to accept or reject the health interventions.  

Two global health policies that influences these social health determinants are :

* Poverty reduction programmes launched in Latin American countries (Brazil) through Conditional cash transfers ( CCT) , helped the country to reduce its poverty percentage significantly by human capital formation.  

* Vitamin A supplementation programmes Launched in many developing countries in association with World Health organisation. Example : Nepal, Uganda ( Orange fleshed sweet potato programme). These Vitamin A supplementation programmes helped many millions to get rid of Vitamin A deficiency and blindness ( a form of undernutrion) .

3. To ensure optimal maternal and Newborn health the global health care community has to follow the Principles of Biomedical Ethics such as autonomy and justice. There should not be any discrimination based on race, gender, nation, language cast , and social class etc. The maternal and Newborn services should provide in an equal and desirable way so that the mother and baby will get the optimal services that may help them to remain healthy. Also the fair and equal distribution of health services may reduce the Maternal and Newborn mortality rate considerably. Health care professionals should respect the woman or family's choice in the provision of health care  services.  

Examples of two public policies that meaningfully influence these social determinants are :

* Early and Exclusive breast feeding programmes: Many countries adopted this intervention and they educate and motivate the pregnant and postnatal women for early and Exclusive breast feeding to ensure the optimal health for the Newborn baby.

* Quality Antenatal programmes: Many developing countries adopted the global health programme for the pregnant women, 'Quality Antenatal programmes ' , that ensures the regular check up and follow up care of the pregnant women, antenatal nutrition, prenatal screening, planned and safe delivery etc. The strategy of Quality Antenatal programmes helped millions of women in many countries to go through their pregnancy period without major hazards. Also these programmes significantly reduced the Maternal and Newborn mortality rate considerably.