Medical Anthropology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Medical Anthropology - Essay Example The increasing interest on global health issues may have been fueled by the United Nation’s Millennium Poll, besides the fact that it has been the primary concern of the majority of citizens. Globally, much efforts are exerted to improve health standards, whether or not individuals come from rich or poor countries. However, it is still obvious (Bloom & River Path Associates, 2000) that whichever regions of the world, health problems bring discontent to people coupled with perceived inequalities. Sen (1999) states, health depicts a complex challenges and consequences to national governments. As the richer countries enjoy better health than poorer ones; health improvements are not automatically delivered in the market does (Sen, 1999). Understandably, major turn overs in health status are structured according to the same foundations as that of the economic growth — up-to- date knowledge and technology, new labour requirements and new investment. However, (Bloom and River Path Associates, 2000), the process that enabled health to improve is on parallel direction and not the same as that of the economic development.... Across the globe there is an existing evidence that, as the epidemic advances, HIV/AIDS is increasingly focused in poor populations. In Asia and the rest of other continents, no statistical association has been established between poverty and AIDS, While wealthier individuals learn to shield themselves, the poor masses have less access to health care services and information, and are more likely to be forced by marginalisation and hardship as well as into making sub-optimal choices (World Bank, 3 1997) The disease therefore proves harder to tackle among poor people (Farmer, 1999). Health Reforms and Socio-Economic Developments One challenge to policy-makers, is not entirely focused on policy interventions which will discuss the impacts of AIDS, but also to see the opportunities plan, execute and implement action against AIDS. Examples of action plans are: intensification of campaigns which can make improvements towards broad and advantageous collateral impact; Protect people against various sexually transmitted diseases (STDs); Curricular reform directed at improving health education; Conduct programs which can lower the incidence of drug-resistant strains through common self-medication practice with antibiotics; and an overall building capacity to meet different cross-cutting problems on AIDS (World Bank, 1997).There are developing countries which are also focusing on poverty diminution as a key component of the total development thinking. A good deal of poverty reduction strategies are at present, considered the key to accessing an expanding proportion of multilateral as well as bilateral donor funding,