Global Health Is More Than Just ‘Public Health Somewhere Else’
Turcotte-Tremblay, Anne-Marie; Fregonese, Federica; Kadio, Kadidiatou; Alam, Nazmul; Merry, Lisa (2020)
BMJ Global Health
5(5)
- Global health can be anywhere as it often focuses on large-scale health inequities that are rooted in transnational determinants.
- Some global health initiatives and actors aim to find solutions to domestic problems.
- King and Koski’s definition of global health may exacerbate inequities by reserving the right to call oneself a global health researcher to those who are privileged and have access to funding that enables them to travel to other settings.
- An inadequate definition of global health based on a ‘here’ vs ‘somewhere else’ dichotomy could result in less funding for a field already characterised by limited resources.
- The decolonisation of global health requires promoting and valuing reflexivity, critical approaches, equitable partnerships and accountability.