SGLK15006U Global Partners, Policies and Health Care Systems

This course examines the role of partnerships, policies and health care in a global health context. The material is contextualised within a multi-level framework of health spanning geopolitical, ideological, equity-centred, rights-based and health system levels of analysis, and driven by an interest in the challenge of building a global health architecture that enables and supports the possibility of health. Thus, the course will introduce students to current and emerging global health issues regarding partners, policies and health care systems.

First, the course begins with an overview of partners on the global health stage, including multi- and bilateral organisations, non-governmental organizations, active in both humanitarian crises and in development contexts (partners). This section of the course underlines the importance of transnational and cooperative partnerships in the global health response. Here, students will also be introduced to, and learn to critically evaluate and choose between, a number of data sources which may be used to gather data to analyse global health issues; including building up and accessing local and global databases. 

Second, theories and practices concerned with global health policies will be discussed, as will questions of how international policies affect global health. This part of the course includes an introduction to the core values of global health including equity in health and measures to address inequalities in health. This part of the course furthermore introduces a health and human rights approach. Human rights are regarded as fundamental to public health work. Human rights abuses can dramatically affect health, health can be dramatically worsened when human rights are ignored, and health and human rights can act synergistically with each other for the improvement of global health. Moreover, different political ideologies, good governance, policy life cycles and problem identification and categorizations agenda setting will be introduces and their impact on the formation of different policies.

Third, the course will include an introduction to health care systems including financing of health care systems. Organisation of health care systems along different lines such as central-decentral, public-private, specialisation, medical systems, governing methods used in health care systems. Effects on access, quality and scope and equity of different financings systems (taxes, private, charity etc.) and resource allocation methods (fee for service, budget etc.) will be addressed. Factors that may affect access to health care both on a policy, structural and individual level, including economical, social and cultural factors, will be analysed. Furthermore, some aspects of health policy analysis will be included such as welfare states and the role of institutions and evidence.

Throughout, particular attention is given to the mechanisms shaping the global health architecture, and implications for the implementation of global health responses. All material will be contextualised within wider debates and controversies about the global nature of public health, the respective roles of local and global actors, and the potential for participation to alleviate the negative health impacts of social inequalities (especially relating to poverty and gender).