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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Stephen Gloyd, MD, MPH, Health Alliance International, University of Washington, 1107 NE 45th St, Suite 427, Seattle, WA 98105, 206-543-8382, gloyd@u.washington.edu

The author will discuss neoliberalism as the basis of US foreign policy and international health assistance. The presentation summarizes the 1) the principal determinants of health and illness in poor countries and the role of the public sector in improving health, 2) the origins and impact of debt and how structural adjustment policies (SAPs) have reduced public sector spending in poor countries, 3) how SAPs have affected health care systems in poor countries, including health facilities, human resources, and provision of critical drugs and supplies, 4) foreign assistance and health care reform in the context of SAPs, and 5) alternatives to current paradigms of foreign health assistance. The author will analyze the principal bottlenecks to improving access to and quality of health and other critical social services, problems with improvement and scale up of critical services, and how aid programs in each country affect the context and capacity to solve health problems.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• describe the principal determinants of health and illness in poor countries and the role of the public sector in improving health,
• describe the origins and impact of debt and how structural adjustment policies (SAPs) have reduced public sector spending in poor countries,
• discuss how SAPs have affected health care systems in poor countries, including health facilities, human resources, and provision of critical drugs and supplies,
• describe foreign assistance and health care reform in the context of SAPs, and
• analyze alternatives to current paradigms of foreign health assistance.

Keywords: International Health, Health Reform

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation