Rabbani, Fauziah

Shaikh, Babar T

Wamala, Sarah

English

eCommons@AKU

eCommons@AKUCommunity Health Sciences Department of Community Health SciencesJanuary 2006Living with globalization: a menace or a chance?Fauziah RabbaniAga Khan University, fauziah.rabbani@aku.eduBabar T ShaikhAga Khan UniversitySarah WamalaNational Institute of Public Health, SwedenFollow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.aku.edu/pakistan_fhs_mc_chs_chsPart of the Public Health CommonsRecommended CitationRabbani, F., Shaikh, B., Wamala, S. (2006). Living with globalization: a menace or a chance?. Journal of Pakistan Medical Association,56(4), 195-196.Available at: https://ecommons.aku.edu/pakistan_fhs_mc_chs_chs/306Letter to the EditorLiving with globalization: a menace or a chance?'Globalization' refers to the increasing integrationof economies around the world, the movement of people(labor) and knowledge (technology) across internationalborders.1 Along with undeniable world economic devel-opment, inequalities within and between nations, risingunemployment and sluggish social progress in countriesnot being able to cope with the pace of globalization, isof great concern.2 Where some of the world populationsegments have made tremendous progress, there is a fearthat globalization is exacerbating poverty and jeopardiz-ing health status of the vulnerable segments in develop-ing countries.3 Tremendous benefits conferred to almost5 billion people through superior technologies andknowledge, highlight the concomitant challenge ofbringing the same to 1 billion people of sub-SaharanAfrica and South Asia who are yet to benefit. Standardsof living have improved. Infant mortality rates declinedglobally during 1970-1997, from 107 to 56 per thousandand life expectancy has risen from 55 years to 67 years.3Judged by their Human Development Indicators (HDIs),today's poor countries are well ahead of where the lead-ing countries Regions Populationin millionsPercentageof population <1$/daypoverty lineUnder 5mortality inchildrenbelowpoverty lineUnder 5mortality inchildrenabovepoverty lineLatin Americaand the CaribbeanMiddle East andNorth AfricaSouth and SouthEast AsiaSub-SaharanAfrica293.4119.81737.8494.510.64.32841.198.2145.1127.1204.352.378.878.3144.2Total or average 2645.5 27.4 156.1 88.6Table. Population, poverty and under 5 mortality trends in develop-ing regions.Vol. 56, No. 4, April 2006 195countries were in 1870.4 This is largely because medicaladvances and improved living standards. Yet the qualityof life for many has not improved, with many still livingin abject poverty and moribund health systems, thushampering access to essential drugs that could alleviatesuffering or even prevent deaths.3Merging borders may pose new challenges toglobal health, social fabrics and cultural identities. Therisks and adverse consequences of globalization must beconfronted, but they must not be allowed to obscure itsoverall positive impact on health and development.Low-income countries have not been able to integratewith the global economy as quickly as others, partlybecause of their chosen policies and partly because offactors outside their control. Does globalization reallyexacerbate health inequities? How can the developingcountries be helped to catch up? Are countries that inte-grate with the global economy inevitably, become vul-nerable to an overall instability? In this scenario, the keyinternational organizations and alliances ought to facili-tate the developing countries in all possible ways tocombat with the diseases prevailing in these regions.Investing in health is imperative and the individualcountries, donors and all other international players haveto have this realization that this is the only way to devel-opment and boosting the economies and thus reducingpoverty, the prime determinant of health.5 That is theonly way to ensure all people in all countries haveaccess to the benefits of globalization. References1. Baris E, McLeod K. Globalization and international trade in the twenty-firstcentury. Opportunities for and threats to the health sector in the South. InternJ Health Services 2000, 30:187-210.2. Dollar D. Is globalization good for your health?  Bull World Health Org 2001,79 :827-833.3. World Bank. Poverty in an age of globalization. Geneva: 2000.4. United Nations Development Programme. Human Development Report 2004.Cultural liberty in today's diverse world. New York: 2004.5. Brundtland GH.  Public health challenges in a globalizing world. Eur J PublicHealth 2005, 15(1): 3-5.Fauziah Rabbani1, Babar T. Shaikh1, SarahWamala2Department of Community Health Sciences, Aga KhanUniversity, Karachi.1 and Social Epidemiology Unit,National Institute of Public Health, Stockholm, Sweden.2196 J Pak Med Assoc

Living with globalization: a menace or a chance?

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