Impact of Global Health Actors on Health Policies of Ghana
INTRODUCTION
This essay would inquire in to the impact of global health actors on Health Policies in the Republic of Ghana highlighting the World Trade Organization, The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund as reference points.
Policy issues have emerged from both constructive and unconstructive effects of various global processes associated with development in the trans-national movement of funds, commodities, services, a rise in multinational corporations, widening inequalities, diseases coupled with poor access to social services. (Dodgson et al, 2002; Frenk et al 2002; Hurrell and Woods, 1995; Vieira 1993). Health related policies should involve the actions (and inaction) that affects institutions, organizations, services and funding arrangements of the health systems. It should incorporate policies from the public as well as the private sectors (Buse et al 2005).
Global actors play an important and central role in policy making and health care funding (Gilson and Walt, 1994; Buse et al, 2007), In health policy perspective, global actors are defined as individuals’ organizations or state governments whose individual or collective actions defines the health policy of their states in terms of setting agendas, legitimizing health issues or allocating resources to various priorities as the need arises (Gill Walt, 1994; Shiffman, 2008). These actors will include principal players such as representatives of donor agencies, medical practitioners, pharmaceutical companies, civil servants, academics and health ministers. The mass media, both of the print and electronic worlds play a vital role in policy in most liberal democratic countries. They are perceived as a potent force in highlighting, shaping, influencing and provoking the government to action (Gill Watt, 1994; Chomsky, 1998; Koh, 2000; Sheehan 200 Shiffman, 2008; Buse et al, 2005).
Rapid spread and emergence of new infectious diseases posing as a threat to many countries has seen to the
This essay would inquire in to the impact of global health actors on Health Policies in the Republic of Ghana highlighting the World Trade Organization, The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund as reference points.
Policy issues have emerged from both constructive and unconstructive effects of various global processes associated with development in the trans-national movement of funds, commodities, services, a rise in multinational corporations, widening inequalities, diseases coupled with poor access to social services. (Dodgson et al, 2002; Frenk et al 2002; Hurrell and Woods, 1995; Vieira 1993). Health related policies should involve the actions (and inaction) that affects institutions, organizations, services and funding arrangements of the health systems. It should incorporate policies from the public as well as the private sectors (Buse et al 2005).
Global actors play an important and central role in policy making and health care funding (Gilson and Walt, 1994; Buse et al, 2007), In health policy perspective, global actors are defined as individuals’ organizations or state governments whose individual or collective actions defines the health policy of their states in terms of setting agendas, legitimizing health issues or allocating resources to various priorities as the need arises (Gill Walt, 1994; Shiffman, 2008). These actors will include principal players such as representatives of donor agencies, medical practitioners, pharmaceutical companies, civil servants, academics and health ministers. The mass media, both of the print and electronic worlds play a vital role in policy in most liberal democratic countries. They are perceived as a potent force in highlighting, shaping, influencing and provoking the government to action (Gill Watt, 1994; Chomsky, 1998; Koh, 2000; Sheehan 200 Shiffman, 2008; Buse et al, 2005).
Rapid spread and emergence of new infectious diseases posing as a threat to many countries has seen to the