SGLK15006U Global Partners, Policies and Health Care Systems

Volume 2020/2021
Education

MSc Programme in Global Health - compulsory course

Content

This course examines partnerships, policies and health care systems 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. The course aims to stimulate interest in the challenge of building a global health architecture that enables and supports the possibility of health.

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. This section of the course underlines the importance of transnational and cooperative partnerships in the global health response. Relevant to this is the phenomenon of cross-border health care seeking, including medical tourism. 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 assessed, 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 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 introduced and their impact on the formation of different policies.

Third, the course will include an introduction to health care systems including financing. 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 economic, 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. The use of mobile health will be introduced and discussed based upon specific cases.

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).

 

Learning Outcome

Course structure / general information:

The course covers the following themes:

Global partners in health:

  • Global health architecture and governance
  • The roles and interplay of transnational, governmental and nongovernmental organisations, drivers and consequences of cross border health care seeking and medical tourism

 

Global health policies:

  • Equity in health
  • Health and Human Rights
  • Political Ideologies, welfare state systems and citizenship
  • Good governance, participation and democracy
  • Problem identification, categorisations
  • Agenda setting, rational choice and historical institutionalism

 

Health care systems in a global context:

  • Different structural approaches
  • Organisation of health care systems, including the governing means and the effects thereof
  • Access to care and determinants hereof
  • Health care financing.

 

Knowledge:

On completion of the course, the students shall demonstrate knowledge on:

  • Exemplify knowledge of, and be able to discuss global health infrastructure and governance including the main international actors and global health policies of international organisations and political systems
  • Demonstrate knowledge of processes and power in global, regional, national health-related priority setting in global health
  • Exemplify knowledge of and discuss equity in health and health and human rights.
  • Discuss good governance and democracy as well as political ideologies, welfare state systems and citizenship.
  • Illustrate knowledge of and be able to discuss problems regarding the political process and agenda setting.
  • Describe and analyse health care systems’ characteristics and their effects on access, equity and quality of care
  • Describe and discuss the concepts of equity and human rights in relation to global health.

 


Skills

On completion of the course, the students shall demonstrate the ability to:

  • Describe, reflect on and discuss the above-mentioned acquired knowledge.
  • Use and analyse data from relevant international databases on health and health care related to global health problems.
  • Apply analytical approaches to global health topics included in the course as learned through case work.
  • Describe and analyse health care systems’ characteristics and their effects on access, equity and quality of care
  • Demonstrate analytical skills through the use of relevant international databases on health and health care.


Competencies

On completion of the course, the students shall demonstrate the ability to:

  • Describe and discuss the concepts of equity and human rights in relation to global health.
  • Introduce and discuss main international actors and global health policies of international organisations and political systems
  • Describe and discuss good governance and democracy as well as political ideologies, welfare state systems and citizenship.
  • Introduce organisation analysis and problems in the political process and agenda setting.
  • Describe the functioning of health care systems
  • Use their analytical skills on relevant international databases on health and health care 

 

Must hold a bachelor degree in a relevant scientific discipline, including 5 ECTS course work in qualitative and quantitative research methodology, respectively.
The course will include a combination of lectures, student activating sessions and group work based on an assignment with supervision. The students will be introduced both to theories and empirical material on all of the course topics.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 36
  • Preparation
  • 143
  • Exercises
  • 13
  • Exam
  • 14
  • Total
  • 206
Oral
Collective
Continuous feedback during the course of the semester
Peer feedback (Students give each other feedback)
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written assignment
Students will during the course, develop a written report responding to a small series of questions or tasks presented to the students over the period of the course. The individually written course assignment should be maximum 10 pages (2400 keystrokes per page) plus a list of references.
Aid
All aids allowed

All aids are allowed
 

 

Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
Exam period

See the exam schedule

Re-exam

See the exam schedule

Criteria for exam assesment

To achieve the maximum grade of 12, the student must be able to:         

Knowledge:

  • Exemplify knowledge of, and be able to discuss global health infrastructure and governance including the main international actors and global health policies of international organisations and political systems
  • Demonstrate knowledge of processes and power in global, regional, national health-related priority setting in global health
  • Exemplify knowledge of and discuss equity in health and health and human rights.
  • Discuss good governance and democracy as well as political ideologies, welfare state systems and citizenship.
  • Illustrate knowledge of and be able to discuss problems regarding the political process and agenda setting.
  • Describe and analyse health care systems’ characteristics and their effects on access, equity and quality of care
  • Describe and discuss the concepts of equity and human rights in relation to global health.


Skills

  • Describe, reflect on and discuss the above-mentioned acquired knowledge.
  • Use and analyse data from relevant international databases on health and health care related to global health problems.
  • Apply analytical approaches to global health topics included in the course as learned through case work.
  • Describe and analyse health care systems’ characteristics and their effects on access, equity and quality of care
  • Demonstrate analytical skills through the use of relevant international databases on health and health care.


Competencies

  • Describe and discuss the concepts of equity and human rights in relation to global health.
  • Introduce and discuss main international actors and global health policies of international organisations and political systems
  • Describe and discuss good governance and democracy as well as political ideologies, welfare state systems and citizenship.
  • Introduce organisation analysis and problems in the political process and agenda setting.
  • Describe the functioning of health care systems
  • Use their analytical skills on relevant international databases on health and health care