The term “global health” refers to issues whose causes transcend national boundaries, making tackling them only via national institutions impossible. Global health addresses global health problems, including malnutrition, human trafficking, mental health, and many more that affect people everywhere rather than just one country (Holtz, 2013). This study analyzes some of the sub-topics covered under Global healthcare issues and policies, which include human trafficking, by explaining how culture, geography, economy, and politics affect it. It also describes the issues and causes of suicide among women in China. This essay also explains some reasons for Cancer disparities among vulnerable populations. On top of that, the essay compares and contrasts global methods of disease-related pain control.
Human Trafficking
In order to exploit individuals for financial gain, human trafficking is described as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, sheltering, or receiving of persons by coercion, fraud, or deceit. Men, women, and children of various ages and socioeconomic situations may be impacted by this crime, which happens everywhere globally. Human trafficking in different regions varies depending on cultural, economic, political, and geographic conditions (Winterdyk, 2020).
According to Winterdyk (2019), when human trafficking is treated from a global viewpoint, each culture’s distinctive social and cultural aspects are ignored. Girls are vulnerable to trafficking and sexual exploitation because of cultural norms, including early and forced marriages (Holtz, 2013). Due to their subordinate status in families and society and the feminization of poverty, women are exposed to recruitment firms. Any civilization’s concentration on materialism opens the door to abuse of the weaker members of society. Winterdyk (2019) argues that a society that places a high value on financial achievement without considering the methods used to get it exposes girls and women to prostitution. Social networking has made it simpler for potential migrants to be sexually exploited after being drawn in by dependable friends or family members with the promise of a better life and easing long-distance interaction.
Human trafficking is a result of political instability, as was evident during the uncertain period of transition that followed the fall of the ‘Soviet Union’ and the subsequent deconstruction of Communism. “Economic crisis and stagnation, forced industrial restructuring, the breakdown of social services, mass unemployment, and dramatically lower living standards for large portions of the population” were the results of the circumstances related to the subsequent political changes and the transition from a planned to a market economy (Holtz, 2013). Due to open borders and the resulting political, economic, and social unrest in the former Soviet Union, many people migrated voluntarily or unintentionally. The ability to get a passport and travel was another incredible opportunity that was now open to individuals. In addition, the fall of Communism and the accompanying cessation of jobs generated by the state and its social programs made cheap labor available in industrialized nations, which provided several good possibilities for these traffickers.
Population geography could aid in creating new data to illuminate plans to counter and alleviate trafficking. Changing the practices of specialists in the field, for example, non-legislative entertainers, police and wrongdoing offices, line controls and movement, and intentional areas against trafficking and casualty, help a noble cause. Population geography aims to collaborate with social science discussions about human trafficking in fruitful and explicit ways (Winterdyk, 2020).
Economic issues impact human trafficking since traffickers target the poor to exploit them. Some parents sell their kids because they are poor. Often, victims are threatened with assault, police involvement, or deportation if they do not require labor to pay off debts. The link between poverty and the prevalence of human trafficking has been further characterized because “economic globalization has supported the emergence and expansion of worldwide markets and profits while overlooking the impact this has on vulnerable individuals and at-risk communities.” (Holtz, 2013). This disregard has hastened the dehumanization of those from the most vulnerable parts of these communities for the human dimension.
Suicide in China
In China, the suicide rate has increased, with over 300,000 out of 1.3 billion people committing suicide annually; 75% of these suicides occur in rural regions, and women commit themselves there at a rate 25% higher than men. According to Global Health Care (Holtz, 2013) research, these women tend to be between the ages of 15 and 34, and most of them attempt suicide because of marital disputes, as will be mentioned below.
According to Zhang (2019), Suicide risk was shown to be greater in situations involving the family, such as separation or divorce, family strife, the loss of a spouse, or sickness. This conclusion is consistent with studies on suicidal behaviors in Chinese teenagers, which contends that family relationship issues should be considered when assessing and managing risk. Additionally, due to the de-collectivization of land, there was an excess of labor in the rural regions, which caused a large-scale movement of males to the cities in pursuit of work, feminizing agriculture. Their already high home load stresses that come with so much duty are added to this, making them more susceptible to mental illness and suicide. The traditional Chinese norms, where women are still viewed as second-class citizens, further exacerbate these depressive episodes (Holtz, 2013).
In China’s rural families, where pesticides are widely available, it seems that women with the above circumstances have an easier exit (Zhang, 2019). Organophosphates are of particular concern since exposure to them may raise the likelihood of a person developing a mental disorder. They are also often utilized in suicide attempts. Organophosphate usage is associated with excellent suicide rates and may also increase the risk of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, according to Global Health Care (Holtz, 2013). Exposure to the substance may also have a role in the emergence of anxiety and depressive disorders and fatalities attributed to mental illnesses.
Suicide attempts are more common in those with mental illness than in the general population. Isolation may result from the stigma associated with severe mental illnesses like schizophrenia, marked by substantial distortions in perception and thought, including hearing voices and delusions. Additionally, due to Chinese physicians’ attempts to downplay mental illness and persistent depression as a “western phenomenon,” rural regions lack proper medical facilities and skilled medical personnel (Holtz, 2013).
Cancer Disparities
Cancer affects every demographic group globally; however, certain groups are disproportionately afflicted due to social, environmental, and financial disadvantages (Patel et al., 2020). Variations in important cancer data, such as incidence, prognosis, and survival, are called cancer disparities. Among the groups with cancer disparities are those characterized by race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, location, income, education, age, sexual orientation, national origin, and other characteristics.
According to Global Health care (Holtz, 2013), Cancer disparities result from the interplay of several factors, including socioeconomic determinants of health, behavior, biology, and genetics, which may all substantially impact health, including cancer risk and outcomes. Several communities throughout the world endure cancer inequities because they are more likely to face obstacles to accessing healthcare. People with low incomes, poor health literacy, lengthy travel times to screening sites, a lack of health insurance, transportation to a medical facility, or paid medical leave have a decreased probability of obtaining the recommended cancer screening tests and services. People with unstable access to healthcare are also more likely to be diagnosed with cancer at an advanced stage, which may have been treated more effectively if found earlier. Particular communities are disproportionately affected by cancer as a result of the environment (Patel et al., 2020)
The built environment may also influence behaviors that raise a person’s chance of developing cancer. People who live in areas lacking affordable, wholesome food options or safe places to exercise, for example, are more likely to eat poorly, to be sedentary, and to be overweight, all of which are risk factors for cancer. There are cancer disparities among those with higher socioeconomic status and health insurance (Holtz, 2013). The health problems these individuals experience as a consequence of institutional racism include chronic stress brought on by it, conscious or unconscious discrimination on the part of healthcare personnel, distrust of the healthcare system, and fatalistic ideas about cancer. In certain circumstances, hereditary variables or tumor biology factors may directly cause cancer inequalities or interact with other factors like food, long-term stress, or cigarette use (Patel et al., 2020).
Pain Management
One of the most typical signs is pain, responsible for 20% of all days of significant health-related suffering globally. However, there is a significant dearth of painkillers, particularly opioid analgesics. The estimated 3.6 billion people—50% of the world’s population—who reside in the poorest countries get less than 1% of the opioids delivered, measured in morphine equivalent ( Holtz, 2013). Thanks to fair and well-balanced regulations on opioid prescriptions, both catastrophes have been averted in Western Europe. There is minimal to no non-medical use of opioids, despite claims by the International Narcotics Control Board that there is widespread consumption in Germany and the United Kingdom (Bonnie et al., 2019).
Bonnie et al. (2019) argue that Upper-middle-income Argentina provides a point of contrast, at least for the Latin American area, and is expanding access to painkillers. This is mainly due to the efforts of concerned medical professionals and members of civil society to extend access to painkillers, beginning with oral morphine in the nineties and a present government program that would provide methadone to patients getting pain management for nothing. There is no indication that prescription opioid analgesics are being diverted for non-medical purposes. This may be partly due to the deployment of community-based strategies to reduce illegal usage. In addition to efforts to import powder and locally reconstitute it into liquid oral morphine and train nurses to legally and securely administer morphine, the construction of a hospice in Uganda has boosted access to painkillers.. Using a community-based strategy, Kerala, India, created a state-level policy on palliative care in 2008 that serves as a model for other Indian states (Bonnie et al., 2019).
In conclusion, underlying societal issues, including poverty, education, and geography, are often connected to the leading causes of people trafficking, suicide, and cancer prevalence. This suggests that a more comprehensive analysis of global healthcare issues and difficulties is necessary. This strategy can address global healthcare issues and external factors that affect health on a global scale, such as building national general capacities and developing strong societies that promote stability, healthy lifestyles, and open access to economic opportunities. For instance, human trafficking is an egregious and blatant violation of a person’s rights. To fight human trafficking and safeguard women and children from this risk, everybody should collaborate. Women at risk, particularly in China, who saw suicide as their only option, should also need assistance to recover.
References
Bonnie, R. J., Schumacher, M. A., Clark, J. D., & Kesselheim, A. S. (2019). Pain management and opioid regulation: continuing public health challenges. American Journal of Public Health, 109(1), 31-34.
Holtz, C. (Ed.). (2013). Global health care: Issues and policies. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Patel, M. I., Lopez, A. M., Blackstock, W., Reeder-Hayes, K., Moushey, A., Phillips, J., & Tap, W. (2020). Cancer disparities and health equity: A policy statement from the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 38(29), 3439.
Winterdyk, J. (2020). Explaining human trafficking: Modern day slavery. The Palgrave international handbook of human trafficking, 1257-1274.
Zhang, J. (2019). Suicide reduction in China. American journal of public health, 109(11), 1533.
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