International Health Agencies and Their Important Role ~ Nursing Guru

International Health Agencies and Their Important Role

International Health Agencies and Their Important Role

A large number of international health agencies/organizations of various sizes provide international health assistance to improve long-term medical care in developing countries. They provide aid to victims of war, famine, and natural disasters. Agency sponsored research and pilot programs in developed industrialized countries have generated many of the best ideas for improving health in developing countries. The international health agencies/organizations are an important source of expert technical advice and training for local health professionals. These agencies/organizations produce the leading tropical health textbooks as well as the most important manuals for health workers. Here we will discuss the major international health agencies that are contributing to the health care delivery system in India.

International Health Agencies and Their Important Role


📖 Table of content 

1.  WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)

2. UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION    (UNESCO)

3. UNITED NATIONS POPULATION FUND ACTIVITIES (UNFPA)

4. UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (UNDP)

5. WORLD BANK

6. SWEDISH INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (SIDA)

7. FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION (FAO)

8. UNITED NATIONAL INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S EMERGENCY FUND (UNICEF)

9. DANISH INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (DANIDA)

10. EUROPEAN COMMISSION (EC)

11. UNITED STATES AGENCY INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (USAID)

12. COLOMBO PLAN

13. INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION (ILO)

World Health Organization (WHO)

"Better health for everyone, everywhere"

The World Health Organization is the UN's specialized agency for health. It was created on April 7, 1948, and is celebrated each year as "World Health Day". The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized and non-political United Nations health agency, headquartered in Geneva.

Areas of work

The main areas of activity are health systems, lifelong health, non-communicable and communicable diseases, preparation, monitoring and response, and business services.

Goal

“Achieved by all people of the highest level of health", also known as Health for All by the year 2000.

Structure

Today, more than 7,000 people work in 150 country offices, six regional offices and our headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

Main bodies

WHO is made up of three main bodies:

The World Health Assembly

  1. Determine international health policy and programs.
  2. Analysis of past year works 
  3. Approve the necessary budget for the following year.
  4. Elect the Member States to designate a person for three years on the Executive Council and replace the outgoing members.

The Management Board

  1. The main job of the Council is to give effect to the decisions and policies of the Assembly.
  2. The Council also has the power to act itself in emergencies, such as epidemics, earthquakes and floods, where immediate action is required.

The Secretariat

  1. Provide the Member States with technical and administrative support for their national health development programs.

Main role

Leading and coordinating international health within the United Nations system

Function / role

Health Service Development

It strengthens the health services of Member States on request. This is the first time in history that international help is available to a State in the form of experts, personnel, drugs, transport, and equipment. India has received such help for control of communicable diseases (malaria, tuberculosis, leprosy, VD, cholera, smallpox, etc.) and in the fields of health, statistics, family planning, MCH, nutrition, health education, mental health and AIDS, etc. The WHO helps to improve the standards of teaching and training in health, medical and related professions by granting fellowships to doctors of one country for study and training in another country.

Biomedical Research

The WHO encourages and facilitates research by (i) giving grants and fellowships, (ii) standardizing nomenclature, laboratory techniques and substances like sera, vaccines and drugs. It has published an International Pharmacopeia and has set up several International Reference Laboratories.

Prevention and Control of Specific Diseases

This activity covers both communicable and non-communicable diseases. Among communicable diseases, a large variety has been tackled by the WHO. The more important among these are malaria, filaria, smallpox (now eradicated), tuberculosis, leprosy, diarrheal diseases and AIDS. The WHO maintains an epidemic intelligence service that collects and disseminates information about the epidermis. WHO has set up a uniform set of International Health Regulations regarding immunization and quarantine of travellers to prevent the international spread of disease. During recent years, the WHO has placed a major emphasis on six target diseases through the Expanded Program of Immunisation, aimed at immunization of all children by 1990. As regards noncommunicable diseases, the WHO has given special attention to cardiovascular, neoplastic, mental, genetic and dental disorders, as also to drug addiction.

Health Statistics

The WHO lays down uniform procedures for reporting, registration and collection of health and vital statistics. It publishes the “International Classification of Diseases, Injuries and Causes of Death” which is revised every 10 years. The WHO also publishes (a) Weekly Epidemiological Record, (b) World Health Statistics Quarterly, and (c) World Health Statistics Annual to disseminate information in this area.

Cooperation with Other Agencies

It promotes international cooperation in health through other specialized agencies of the UN, such as UNICEF, FAO, ILO, etc. It also maintains contact with other organizations like CARE and USAID.

Family Health

Since 1970, the WHO has given a major emphasis to its Family Health Program, the aim of which is to improve the quality of the family as a unit. The components of this program are MCH, human reproduction, nutrition and health education.

Environmental Health

The WHO advises the Member States about the provision of basic sanitary services and safe water supply, as also as the prevention of air pollution. The WHO is committed to the target of “Water for All by 1990” set up by Habitat, the UN Center for Human Settlements.

Health Literature and Information

The WHO acts as a clearinghouse for information on diverse health problems. It maintains a well-stocked library at the headquarters and brings out many publications.

The important ones are listed below:

  1. Bulletin of WHO (Monthly), which publishers original work
  2. WHO Chronicle
  3. Weekly Epidemiological Report
  4. World Health Statistics (Quarterly and Annual Reports)
  5. World Health (Monthly)
  6. WHO Technical Report Series on different subjects
  7. WHO Monograph Series
  8. International Digest of Health Legislation
  9. World Health Forum.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

UNESCO specific agency of United Nations was established on 16th November 1945. It has 193 member countries and 7 associate members. This organization is based in Paris with over 50 field offices and many institutes throughout the world.

Objectives

  1. To maintain peace and security by promoting international collaboration through education and sciences.
  2. To protect human rights, universal respect for justice.
  3. To improve educational, social and human sciences with better communication and information. 

Functions 

The main functions of UNESCO are:

  1. Education: The largest sector of UNESCO activity is in the field of education
  2. Scientific activities: The scientific activities initiated by the UNESCO
  3. Communication: Develops communication for dissemination of information 
  4. Preservation of Cultural Heritage: It encourages modernization without the loss of cultural identity and diversity.

United Nations Population Fund Activities (UNFPA)

UNFPA is an international development agency that helps in the promotion of the right of women, men and children by health and equal opportunity. Science 1974 UNFPA is serving in India

Core Areas of focus

The three core areas of work are

  1. Reproductive health
  2. Gender equality and population
  3. Development strategies.

Functions

  1. To develop the national capability for the production of contraceptives.
  2. To develop population education programmes.
  3. To undertake organized sector projects.
  4. To strengthen programme management as well as to improve the productivity of grass-root level health workers.
  5. To introduce innovative approaches to family planning and MCH care.

United Nation Development Programme (UNDP)

Since 1966 UNDP partnered with people at all cadres of society to help build nations that can cope with crises, and sustain the kind of development that set everyone's quality of life. 

Basic objective 

  1. To help poorer nations to develop their human and natural resources more fully.

Focused areas

  1. Supporting strategic
  2. Legal empowerment
  3. Strengthening the position of women
  4. Supporting UNDP country offices and national partners

Functions

  1. Advocating for change to help people build a better life and to connect countries with knowledge, experience and resources 
  2. Solutions to global and national development challenges.
  3. Advocates for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),
  4. Advocates for prevention and recovery, environment and energy, poverty reduction, democratic governance, crisis and HIV/AIDS.

World Bank

The World Bank was founded in 1944, is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

Functions

  1. Powers of the bank are vested in a Board of Governors.
  2. Bank issue loans for projects that will steer to economic growth.
  3. Projects are usually generally related to electric power, roads, railways, agriculture, water supply, education, family planning 
  4. Health and environmental elements have been added to many projects.
  5. Co-operative programmes exist between WHO and the Bank g. Water Supply, World Food Programme, Population Control projects 

Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA)

The Swedish International Development Agency is assisting the National Tuberculosis Control Programme since 1979. The SIDA assistance is usually spent on procurement of supplies like X-ray units, microscopes and anti-tuberculosis drugs. SIDA officials also support the Short Course Chemotherapy Drug Regimens under Pilot study, which were launched in 18 districts of the country during 1983–84 in pilot phase-I of the revised strategy of NTP. 

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

The Food and Agriculture Organization was established in 1945. FAO United Nations leads international efforts to defeat hunger.

Objectives

  1. To help nations to raise living standards
  2. To promote improved nutrition of the people of all countries.
  3. To enhance the efficiency of farming, forestry and fisheries.
  4. To upgrade the condition of rural people.
  5. To increase the opportunity of all people for productive work.

Functions

  1. Economical, technological, scientific, social, and economic research on nutrition, food, and agriculture
  2. Improving education and administration in nutrition, food, and agriculture
  3. Dissemination of public knowledge in nutritional and agricultural science and practice
  4. Conservation of natural resources and adoption of better methods of agricultural production
  5. Improving the processing, marketing and distribution of food and agricultural products
  6. Adopt policies to provide adequate agricultural credit, national and international
  7. Adopt international policies on agricultural commodity management 

United national international Children's emergency fund (UNICEF)

Work for every child, everywhere

Created in 1946 by the General Assembly of the United Nations to deal with the rehabilitation of children in war-torn countries. The headquarters of the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is located at the United Nations, New York. The UNICEF regional office is located in New Delhi, the region is known as the South Central Asia region, which covers Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, India, Maldives, Mongolia and Nepal. UNICEF works in close collaboration with WHO and other specialized agencies of the United Nations such as UNDP, FAO and UNESCO.

Services / Features

  1. Child protection and inclusion
  2. Child survival
  3. Education
  4. Social policy
  5. UNICEF in emergencies
  6. Gender
  7. Innovation for children
  8. Supply and logistics
  9. Research and analysis
  10. Use data to generate results

GOBI campaign encourages 4 strategies for a "child health revolution:

  1. G: growth curves allow better monitoring of child development.
  2. O: oral re-hydration to correct mild and moderate dehydration.
  3. B: breastfeed.
  4. I: Immunization (measles, diphtheria, polio, whooping cough, tetanus and tuberculosis)

Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA)

DANIDA is the name of Denmark’s development cooperation. DANIDA comes under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. The term DANIDA was coined in 1963. The Government of Denmark has been supporting the development of services under National Blindness Control Programme since 1978.

Four strategic priorities

  1. Human rights and democracy
  2. Green growth
  3. Social progress
  4. Stability and protection

Functions

  1. Eradication of poverty and ensuring sustainable development.
  2. Anticipate to NGOs as well as governmental organizations.
  3. Fighting against social and economic development, human rights, democracy and good governance, stability, security and terrorism, refugees, humanitarian assistance and environment.
  4. Reinforce the International Fight against HIV/AIDS.

European Commission (EC)

The first Commission began in 1951 as the nine-member "High Authority" under President.

Functions

  1. The Commission proposes laws for adoption
  2. The Commission makes proposals to meet its obligations
  3. Assessment of the potential economic, social and environmental impact on any proposed legislation act is published along with the proposal.
  4. The Commission ensures that it is implemented correctly by the European Union member countries.

United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

It was created in 1961. A USAID mission operates in New Delhi.

Objectives 

  1. To promote broadly shared economic prosperity
  2. To strengthen democracy and good governance
  3. To protect human rights
  4. To improve global health
  5. To Advance food security and agriculture
  6. To improve environmental sustainability
  7. To Further education
  8. To Help societies prevent and recover from conflicts
  9. To provide humanitarian assistance in the wake of natural and man-made disasters

Functions

  1. Malaria eradication
  2. Medical education
  3. Nursing education
  4. Health education
  5. Water supply and sanitation
  6. Control of communicable diseases
  7. Nutrition
  8. Family planning

Colombo Plan

Colombo plan was coined in 1950 for cooperative economic development for South and South-East Asia. Promote interest and support for economic and social development in Asia and the Pacific. Promote technical cooperation and assistance in the sharing and transfer of technology between member countries. Review relevant information on technical cooperation between the member governments, multilateral and other agencies. Provide facility to transfer and sharing of the developmental experiences among member countries

International Labour Organization (ILO)

It was established in 1919 to improve the working and living conditions of the working population all over the world. WHO and ILO are co-partners in the field of health and labour.

Objectives

  1. To improve the working and living conditions of workers/ labourers through international efforts.
  2. To co-operate in maintaining peace in the establishment by promoting special justice.
  3. To promote economic and social stability.

Functions

  1. Develop international policies and programmes to promote basic human rights
  2. Formulation of international labour standards
  3. An extensive programme of international technical cooperation has been developed in an active partnership with developers
  4. Training, education and research activities to help all of these efforts

Read About

What are the 4 types of international health organizations?

There are many international health organizations but as per the nursing syllabus following are the international health Agencies World Health Organization (Who), United Nations Educational, Scientific And Cultural Organization (Unesco), United Nations Population Fund Activities (Unfpa), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Bank, Swedish International Development Agency (Sida), Food And Agriculture Organization (Fao), United National International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef), Danish International Development Agency (Danida), European Commission (Ec), United States Agency International Development (USAID), Colombo Plan and International Labour Organization (Ilo)

What is international health care agencies?

There are many international health organizations but as per the nursing syllabus following are the international health Agencies World Health Organization (Who), United Nations Educational, Scientific And Cultural Organization (Unesco), United Nations Population Fund Activities (Unfpa), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Bank, Swedish International Development Agency (Sida), Food And Agriculture Organization (Fao), United National International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef), Danish International Development Agency (Danida), European Commission (Ec), United States Agency International Development (USAID), Colombo Plan and International Labour Organization (Ilo)

How many international health organizations are there?

There are many international health organizations but as per the nursing syllabus following are the international health Agencies World Health Organization (Who), United Nations Educational, Scientific And Cultural Organization (Unesco), United Nations Population Fund Activities (Unfpa), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), World Bank, Swedish International Development Agency (Sida), Food And Agriculture Organization (Fao), United National International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef), Danish International Development Agency (Danida), European Commission (Ec), United States Agency International Development (USAID), Colombo Plan and International Labour Organization (Ilo)

What are three international public health organizations?

There are several international health organizations, for example, World Health Organization, World Bank, United Nations Children's Fund, United States Agency for International Development etc.

What are the roles of global health organizations and agencies?

Provide international health assistance to improve long-term medical care in developing countries. They provide aid to victims of war, famine, and natural disasters. Agency sponsored research and pilot programs in developed industrialized countries have generated many of the best ideas for improving health in developing countries.

Where is the headquarters of WHO

Geneva, Switzerland

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