The role of community action in promoting health is influenced by a number of regional, national and international factors. For developing countries the foreign debt crisis, structural adjustment policies imposed by IMF and World Bank, and neoliberal globalization development strategies have reduced the role of the state in providing medical care for the poor. Poverty and unemployment have expanded. Living conditions of the people have deteriorated, with a subsequent negative impact on collective health. In Ecuador, many of the most useful alternative approaches to meeting peoples’ basic needs and promoting better living conditions are coming from the communities. Local organizations are developing programs to control environmental deterioration and promote alternative agricultural practices. Through emphasizing the concept of solidarity, the notion of food security is becoming a real possibility. Within primary health care efforts, integrating traditional indigenous health care with the formal western health care system is bringing some needed services back into the community. Such approaches can strengthen community efforts to overcome the negative impact of globalization at the local level, and tilt the balance to favor improved living conditions for the poor.
Learning Objectives: NA
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.