World hospitals and health services : the official journal of the International Hospital Federation
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World Hosp Health Serv · Jan 2007
The importance of militaries from developing countries in global infectious disease surveillance.
Military forces from developing countries have become increasingly important as facilitators of their government's foreign policy, taking part in peacekeeping operations, military exercises and humanitarian relief missions. Deployment of these forces presents both challenges and opportunities for infectious disease surveillance and control. Troop movements may cause or extend epidemics by introducing novel agents to susceptible populations. ⋯ In Peru and Thailand, military health organizations in partnership with the military of the United States use their laboratory, epidemiological, communications and logistical resources to support civilian ministry of health efforts. As their role in international affairs expands, surveillance capabilities of militaries from developing countries should be enhanced, perhaps through partnerships with militaries from high-income countries. Military-to-military and military-to-civilian partnerships, with the support of national and international civilian health organizations, could also greatly strengthen global infectious disease surveillance, particularly in remote and post-disaster areas where military forces are present.
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World Hosp Health Serv · Jan 2007
Reform of the health care system in Turkey: a review of universal health insurance.
Starting with the 1990s, Turkey has been restructuring its health care system. In December 2003, the Government of Turkey announced a comprehensive reform programme, entitled "Transformation in Health". This reform package consisted of reorganizing health services delivery and finance systems, including the establishment of a family practitioner system and universal health insurance. ⋯ All systems are, to a greater or lesser extent, the product of the history and culture of a country. Thus it is possible to learn from the experience of other countries, but unwise to copy them exactly. This is important for countries undergoing the reform process including Turkey.
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Global health diplomacy is an emerging discipline where health is incorporated into traditional diplomacy as a foreign policy tool. As, with any new area, there is a need for training. This article sets out what global health policy involves and the current academic response to providing training for it.