Abstract
The world continues to become a smaller place made possible by growing access to Internet, online services and less expensive air travel. An increasing number of developing countries are experiencing economic growth far in excess of previous years with real growth in GDP at rate well above the levels in the recognised developed world of USA and Europe. The period of austerity continues its grip and the gap between the Middle East previously seen as cash rich is narrowing as the reliance on oil as the main source of energy reduces. There are now wide opportunities across the globe to partner with governments and private providers aspiring to develop healthcare to levels of international standards. However, the challenges of global healthcare remain significant. The challenge of healthcare delivery and financial constraints in light of increasing life expectancy and chronic disease is real. At a time of increasing demand for healthcare, shortage of doctors and nurses as well as accessibility and consistently good outcomes globally remains a challenge. In light of these challenges however opportunities exist for collaboration at national level down to individuals across continents. This chapter discusses the challenges and opportunities in global healthcare.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
World economic situation and prospects 2018. United Nations. Available at https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/wp-content/uploads/sites/45/publication/WESP2018_Full_Web-1.pdf.
Crimmins EM. Lifespan and healthspan: past, present, and promise. Gerontologist. 2015;55(6):901–11.
Ediriweerar DS, Karunapema P, Pathmeswaran A, Arnold M. Increase in premature mortality due to non-communicable diseases in Sri Lanka during the first decade of the twenty-first century. BMC Public Health. 2018;18:584.
Boutayeb A. The double burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases in developing countries. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 2006;100(3):191–9.
Choi KH, Liu H, Guo Y, Han L, Mandel JS, Rutherford GW. Emerging HIV-1 epidemic in China in men who have sex with men. Lancet. 2003;361(9375):2125–6.
Health spending in most OECD countries rises, with the U.S. far outstripping all others. Report of the OECD. Available at http://www.oecd.org/general/healthspendinginmostoecdcountriesriseswiththeusfaroutstrippingallothers.htm.
Darzi A, Evans T. The global shortage of health workers—an opportunity to transform care. Lancet. 2016;388(10060):2576–7.
Kherallah M, Alahfez T, Sahloul Z, Eddin KD, Jamil G. Health care in Syria before and during the crisis. Avicenna J Med. 2012;2(3):51–3.
Ruger JP, Kim HJ. Global health inequalities: an international comparison. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2006;60(11):928–36.
Yeoman G, Furlong P, Seres M, et al. Defining patient centricity with patients for patients and caregivers: a collaborative endeavour. BMJ Innov. 2017;3:76–83.
Report of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry. Available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/report-of-the-mid-staffordshire-nhs-foundation-trust-public-inquiry.
Krech R, Kickbusch I, Franz C, et al. Banking for health: the role of financial sector actors in investing in global health. BMJ Glob Health. 2018;3:e000597.
Budget 2018: Philip Hammond’s speech. Available at https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/budget-2018-philip-hammonds-speech.
Research and innovation for global health transformation. Available at https://www.nihr.ac.uk/funding-and-support/global-health-research/funding-calls/research-and-innovation-for-global-health-transformation.htm.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Tomlinson, T., Godbole, P. (2019). Opportunities and Challenges in Global Healthcare. In: Burke, D., Godbole, P., Cash, A. (eds) Hospital Transformation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15448-6_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15448-6_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-15447-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-15448-6
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)