Global Health and SAFE Response-Ability

[Avnish Jolly]

Global Health and SAFE Response-Ability

Holistic health care is an integrative practice. One that acknowledges the four-fold connection between spirit-soul-mind-body we all possess. In focusing on the underlying mechanics of spirituality and physical reality, this holistic healing model holds that the two are inseparably entwined.  So, what about this connection, and how can we use it to heal ourselves and the Society at large?

Our thoughts are energy and every thought has power. Mystics and spiritual traditions have said this through the ages. Our intentions matter. Through the science of physics, we understand that we are energetic fields of intention. We create intentional fields, wherein all of our unconscious beliefs shape our outer world and then create the personal events that occur in the future.

We create our reality. Most of us have heard this said many times. However, more accurately we're aligned as co-creators in this endeavor. As individuals living in societies, we operate within a general consensus of reality. Communication pathways inform each level of reality. The mind informs the body. Soul informs the mind. And Spirit informs soul. These energetic levels, languages and pathways form the basis for an integrative holistic healing model.

From an expanded perspective of empowerment and response-ability, we acknowledge our multi-level holistic reality. This perspective informs a biospiritual healing and creates wellness for ourselves and others. In this universe of entangled minds and realities, we realize that every thought we have, every word spoken, every emotion, feeling, action and belief holistically affects everything else.
 
A short report by UNAIDS on AIDS and Global Health made available for this event examines the role that the health sector should play in helping to attain the goal of universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. Over the past decade the AIDS response has played a major role in producing better health outcomes for people in developing countries and has mobilized a whole range of stakeholders in efforts to build health systems worldwide. However, much work still needs to be done.

The AIDS epidemic is part of the global health landscape, just as the global health agenda is part of the AIDS response. The new report shows that the response to AIDS is an opportunity to improve health systems worldwide. Also discussed is that other areas that contribute to health solutions, such as Health, human rights, the law, environment, religious rights ,education, economy, Information and technology  etc need to be embraced if we are to maximize outcomes, and that health equity must be addressed.
 
Community services strengthened
It has been shown that there are many beneficial effects from an increase in AIDS resources being spent on health and community systems. A case study described in the report looks at how increased funding for HIV in Nigeria has trickled down to improvements at the local level in a whole range of areas, which in turn helps in the fight against many other diseases. Focusing on a hospital in Jengre, Nigeria, the case study shows that AIDS funding has helped provide free services for children and pregnant mothers enrolled in antenatal care, in addition to enabling major improvements in the hospital’s infrastructure and its ability to tackle the other poverty diseases: tuberculosis and malaria.
 
Linking AIDS treatment and HIV prevention to other health issues, such as sexual reproductive health, tuberculosis and safe motherhood, has meant that they themselves receive more attention. AIDS responses have also strengthened hospital infection control and improved blood safety and transfusions. The issue of paediatric AIDS has contributed to the debate on better medicines for children and new opportunities have emerged to challenge those social norms that contribute to ill health.
 
HIV: health issue and social issue
AIDS and global health notes that HIV is both a health issue and a social issue. By involving the education, agriculture, business, media, labour and other social service sectors, the AIDS response has been able to leverage better health outcomes, just as efforts to eradicate polio and reduce tobacco use have done in recent years. HIV has highlighted the underlying causes of poor health: social determinants such as gender inequality, stigma, migration and lack of education. A lesson learned is that social determinants must be addressed when addressing global health needs.

 

The following document provides us lot of inputs, kindly ponder the issues and contribute for advocacy and inputs.  
Implementation of the Global Health Initiative
http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/global_health/home/Publications/docs/...

   Best Wishes and Regards,
Avnish