CHAPTER 10— THE POLITICS OF GLOBAL HEALTH 



I. In'TRODUCTTOX 



The purpose of this study on the politics of global health is to 

 open up the subject of international health to greater visibility. The 

 degree of freedom from epidemic disease enjoyed by Americans is the 

 result of many steps taken by physicians and statesmen over many 

 decades, toward improving global health conditions. 



The American people contribute to a large variety of vitally es- 

 sential but unglamorous programs with health benefits in small trop- 

 ical villages and thriving modern cities all over the world. The un- 

 publicized programs of worldwide disease surveillance and health 

 assistance are supported by the commitments of the U.S. Government 

 to the AVorld Health Organization and the Parf American Health Or- 

 ganization. There is little awareness as to why or how these oriianiza- 

 tions came into existence, what tliey have achieved, or what they are 

 supposed to accomplish. The closest voluntary involvement of the 

 public is with T'XICEF, the United Nations Children's Fund, many 

 of whose activities are worked out with the advice and assistance of the 

 "World Health Organization wliich. like T'^NICEF, is a specialized 

 agency of the United Xations. 



Benefits from these programs accrue not only to the less developed 

 countries of the world but also to the highly urbanized industrial 

 nations. The benefits are likely to be greatly in excess of the costs, 

 but little evidence has been offered to show this. 



Scope and .LimHations of the Sfiidy 



The study describes the origin of early international agree- 

 ments for control of epidemic disease, up to the broader and more 

 comprehensive constitutional machinery under which international 

 health experts now operate. Questions are raised about how pur- 

 poseful the world's governments were, over the years, in establish- 

 ing conventions to control the spread of disease ; the extent to which 

 national sovereignty yielded to international health imperatives: 

 the use of health airreements in foreign policy objectives; and whethor 

 health technology remains an appropriate area of exploitation 

 for national interests. 



In formulating the elements of diplomatic policy having to do with 

 world medicine and improved conditions of public "health, national 

 leaders have historically been strongly influenced by such other consid- 

 erations as trade advantage, national prestige, and the quest for profits 

 abroad. Althou2:h commanding high respect and priority as a nolitical 

 and economic force within most nations, public health and medicine 

 have yet to become an attractive base to srlamorize institutional re- 

 form of the relations among nation states. The question persists : "Wliy 

 a concern so important to all mankind — personal and public health — 

 has not become a more effectn-e. comprehensive, and dynamic focus 

 of inten^.ntional cooyyeration. 



Note : This chapter was prepared in 1971 by Freeman H. Quinsy. 



(685) 



