How an Organization’s Mission and Vision Impacts the Health and/or Safety Needs of a Local Community
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a United Nations specialized agency that was formed in 1948 to oversee authority for the health issues of the international community. The offices of the organization are spread out worldwide. The major aim of the WHO is to achieve the highest possible level of health for everyone globally (Yadav, 2017). The mission of the WHO is to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable, with a measurable impact on individuals at the country level. The WHO has a vision of a world in which all peoples attain the highest possible level of health. This mission and vision guide the activities of the WHO so that it may contribute to public health and safety improvements in various ways.
International health security is threatened by several issues including disease outbreaks of epidemic-prone and novel diseases like the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ebola virus epidemic. These outbreaks are instigated by factors like the misuse of antibiotics. The mission and vision of the WHO help it come up with policies to meet the safety needs of a population. Safety needs include health and personal security. The WHO meets these needs by trying to make appropriate health technology like essential drugs accessible to most people, financing healthcare in poor populations and increasing the numbers of trained healthcare practitioners in these areas (Yadav, 2017). The mission and vision of the WHO enable the organization to establish policies that facilitate quality healthcare for everyone.
Universal health coverage in some countries and medical insurance policies are initiatives that support the mission and vision of the WHO in the promotion of public health and safety. These initiatives ensure that as many people as possible receive healthcare services. The services are made affordable for the beneficiaries of these programs (Schindler et al., 2018). Every member of the community can access healthcare through universal health coverage. These programs also advocate for the delivery of quality health care to the people. These lead to improved health outcomes for the population and decreased morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of some diseases has gone down thanks to the medical insurance schemes that cater for the costs of managing the conditions.
How WHO Impacts the Health and/or Safety Needs of a Local Community
The WHO contributes to public health and safety needs in several ways. It monitors the population’s health and assesses the trends in health issues (Yadav, 2017). It guides health research processes that are done on the people. It regulates health-related issues such as drug and substance abuse and genetic modification of foods. Moreover, the organization formulates norms and standards in healthcare and ensures that these regulations are implemented. It addresses issues that are critical to public health by providing leadership in how to deal with these issues. It encourages the acquisition and adequate stocking of essential drugs in hospitals (CFR.org Editors, 2021). Also, the WHO ensures that ethics are upheld in healthcare and that evidence-based interventions are used.
Impact of Funding Sources, Policy and Legislation on WHO’s Provision of Services
The WHO is funded by voluntary contributions of member states, the private sector, philanthropic organizations and other sources. It is also funded by the payment of agreed membership dues by the member states (Organization, 2022). The membership dues are based on the gross income and wealth of the countries. The funding sources have positively impacted the WHO. It has improved the health systems of the countries by improving evidence gathering and integrating people-centred services. Moreover, it has facilitated the fight against Non-communicable Diseases. It has also enabled the organization to use tools to promote human rights and gender equity in health. The Contingency Fund for Emergencies allows the organization to appropriately respond to health emergencies and disease outbreaks to prevent devastating consequences (Organization, 2022).
Policy and legislation also impact the provision of services by the WHO. The policy on disability enables the organization to provide healthcare that includes people with disability without discrimination. The organization advocates for a consult with people with disability in decisions affecting them. Policy and legislation on ethics enable the WHO to base their decisions and activities on sticking to the required ethics. The organization has defined the consequences of breaching the code of ethics including loss of the contract with the WHO (Organization, 2022).
The Ability of WHO to Promote Equal Opportunity and Improve the Quality of Life
The WHO advocates for equity in healthcare. It encourages the inclusion of people with disability in health reforms. Their opinion on issues affecting them is sought. The organization addresses the different forms of discrimination toward people with disability in the healthcare system. It also advocates for improved accessibility of public facilities for everyone with a disability. It advocates for gender equity in leadership and service delivery in healthcare (Organization, 2022). Its offices are distributed across the world and this enables the inclusion of every race and country in quality healthcare regulated by the WHO. Moreover, it strives to employ individuals from marginalised groups.
References
CFR.org Editors. (2021, January 29). What Does the World Health Organization Do? Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-does-world-health-organization-do
Organization, T. W. (2022). Funding. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/about/funding
Schindler, M., Danis, M., Goold, S. D., & Hurst, S. A. (2018). Solidarity and cost management: Swiss citizens’ reasons for priorities regarding health insurance coverage. Health Expectations, 21(5), 858-869. https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.12680
Yadav, Manish Kumar, Structure and Functions of the World Health Organization. (September 5, 2017). IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science (IOSR-JHSS), Vol. 22, Issue 9, Ver. 1 (September. 2017), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3032652
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