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World Health Organization Ideas

The World Health Organization (WHO) is the leading and directing authority on health for the United Nations. WHO acts as a leader on global health issues, forming policy options based on collaborative research. The organization provides World Health Reports, which each focus on a particular aspect of world health, reporting on the current state of health, as well as goals, priorities and accomplishments. Specifically, improving women and children's health, and the health of African people, are central to the organization's goals.

  1. WHO Agenda

    • Facilitating health development in impoverished areas is a primary goal of WHO. Current development goals focus on chronic diseases and tropical diseases. Health security is a high priority, including preventing disease outbreaks and addressing epidemic threats. Improving logistics such as access to medicine and training medical staff help more people access care. Interpreting research for new policy ideas is a central task as well as organizing resources like donors and international organizations into collaborative efforts. Lastly, improving efficiency and effectiveness of WHO is an important goal.

    2010 Health Report

    • The most recent Health Report addresses the financial systems of countries at all levels of development, to pave the way for universal health care access. The report gives an "action agenda" for countries to finance health care. The main points in the advised plans include raising more funds for health care via (including raising taxes or finding new sectors to tax), raising money more fairly (which addresses cutting down on out-of-pocket health spending), and spending money more efficiently.

    2008 Health Report

    • The previous health report addressed returning to a primary-care focus in global health. Primary-care, the WHO advises, would help provide comprehensive health and preventative care rather than focusing on disease, which requires more specialists. WHO suggests that a more efficient system, using local doctors more and expensive specialists less, could reduce disease burden overall by up to 70 percent. They suggest that in areas where health care is driven by profitability, inefficiencies lead to inequality where people are excluded based on ability to pay.

    Women's Health

    • WHO has decided to judge their own effectiveness based on improvements in women's health worldwide, and the health of African people. Women's health is a top priority to the WHO because they are a vulnerable population worldwide, but also have been shown to be valuable agents of change in poor communities. Maternity-related deaths are much greater in impoverished places than in developed countries.

    Health of Africa

    • Sub-Saharan Africa bears the highest burden of disease in the world. The WHO recently released its first report, which focused entirely on the health of the people of Africa, titled "The Health of the People." This report described the current health conditions of the continent and prominent health concerns. HIV/AIDS care and prevention is a top priority, and WHO reported that it is the leading cause of death among African people. The report also listed malaria, infant mortality and women's health, basic sanitation and water as urgent priorities.

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