Influence of world politics and economics on global health: Analysis of five major cases / 国際保健医療

ABSTRACT

Until recently, many global health policies and programs were developed and transformed under the influence of world politics and economics. One example is the primary health care strategy established in a political and social context to enhance the sovereignty and human rights of developing countries. However, the initial ideal had to be abandoned after implementation of the structural adjustment policy derived from the context of growing neoclassical economics. The Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) policy was developed entirely based on economical reviews the World Bank initiated. Childhood malnutrition in developing countries remains unresolved due to the politically unequal distribution of food and the strategic selling pressures of multinational food companies. The universal access policy of anti-retrovirus drugs for HIV infection has been impeded by the economical battle for intellectual property rights for the manufacturing and purchasing of these drugs. The World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control was enacted against the marketing strategies of multinational tobacco companies. This paper aims to measure the effects of the intentions of international financing organizations and multinational businesses on the development of global health policies and to discuss the challenges for global health under them.