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Global health and humanitarian health
- Page updated onMarch 15, 2025
The understanding of health and public health becomes more complicated when we start to give it other names: International health?, Global health?, Humanitarian health?. In addition, heterogeneity is triggered when we start to move around the world. A concept that seems massive at the gates of the offices of the World Health Organization in Geneva seems almost familiar in a village in the mountains of deep Nepal and even seems an illusion out of context in a refugee camp in Sudan.
Table of contents:
What is global health?
Global health is a modern term that can be understood as coordinated action and research to address health priorities that transcend borders. This understanding of global health, which again is a simplification of many other more comprehensive definitions, puts the focus on international collaboration in the face of global health threats.
Global health goes beyond tropical medicine and international health
The field of global health study, policy and practice is often confused with older terms such as tropical medicine, which are now less commonly used. However, the classical meaning of tropical medicine, originating in the 19th century, is specialization in the health problems of tropical areas and has a strong colonial background.
International health, developed in the second half of the 20th century, goes beyond tropical medicine. This approach understands health as more than just the absence of disease and is closely linked to international cooperation and the framework of the United Nations and the World Health Organization. International health focuses on the health problems of low- and middle-income countries. Although it does not have the marked colonial character of tropical medicine, it separates the global North (with solutions) from the global South (with problems).
The 21st century saw an approach to the health problems of the entire planet.
The international health vision shifted to global health at the beginning of the 21st century. This coincided with concern about HIV/AIDS, agreement on the Millennium Development Goals, and the creation of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
In these years, the number of non-state actors involved in (now) global health increased. At that time, they still maintained a very vertical approach focused on specific diseases and a strong leadership of institutions from the global North (inherited from the international health tradition). In this framework, the international health regulation (2005), a legally binding instrument for all countries to prevent the international spread of infectious diseases, was revised. Approaches such as One Health (2013), linking human, animal and environmental health, also emerged. Despite these advances, in 2014, an Ebola outbreak in West Africa exposed the fragility of the system in responding to global emergencies. In response, the new global health began to address more of the health problems of the entire planet. In parallel, the Millennium Development Goals moved toward the Sustainable Development Goals.
At the same time, there was a shift to a more horizontal health intervention framework focused on health systems strengthening and universal health coverage. Also evident was the need for a central actor to provide political and technical leadership for the global health system. Years later, the COVID-19 epidemic turned the world's attention to WHO to play that role, while at the same time showing the fragility of the system.
What is humanitarian health?
Humanitarian action in health aims to alleviate suffering and save lives in humanitarian emergencies, while promoting the well-being and dignity of people affected by the crisis.
Addressing high-priority health needs in humanitarian contexts
At first glance, humanitarian health may appear to be a low-cost version of global health. Although this is not the case, it is true that humanitarian action in health addresses only part of all dimensions of health, with less time and resources.
On the one hand, humanitarian action cannot aspire to impact all global health issues. In humanitarian emergencies time is short. Therefore, the health determinants and needs that are most urgent for the affected population must be prioritized. On the other hand, it is usually only about achieving a minimum standard of health services and protection. The reason is clear. In the midst of a complex humanitarian crisis it may not be feasible to pursue more ambitious goals. In these contexts, unfortunately, the perfect or ideal is the enemy of the possible. Finally, it is a challenge to produce quality scientific evidence about these interventions, due to high insecurity, difficult access, very limited availability of resources, and the coexistence of many other priorities.
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However, humanitarian health should not be understood as a short-term, ad hoc response. Although in the most acute phase of the emergency the main focus is on reducing preventable morbidity and mortality, the focus of the humanitarian health response should include medium- and long-term considerations as soon as possible. This makes it possible to avoid further weakening the health system affected by the emergency and to contribute to its recovery, support, development and sustainability, sometimes even considering the coexistence of both types of actions under a vision of humanitarian-development-peace nexus.
Humanitarian health as a sector of humanitarian action
As a humanitarian sector, the health sector has some characteristics that differentiate it from the rest.
First, the health sector has been at the center of humanitarian action since its origins and at every key point in its evolution and transformation. It has always maintained a strong relationship with each and every other sector, with the ultimate joint aim of alleviating suffering and protecting the health and well-being of the affected population. Indeed, some health outcomes are indicators of intersectoral collaboration and the effectiveness of collective humanitarian action.
In addition, the provision of health care in humanitarian contexts has a strong specialized technical component. This requires a high level of professionalization of human talent and regulation through the regulations and organization of each country's health system, with which it must collaborate.
Health fundamentals
External links
- Future of Global Health Initiatives, 2023. The Lusaka Agenda.
- Salm, 2021. Defining global health: findings from a systematic review and thematic analysis of the literature.
- Moon, 2021. Global health.
- WHO, 2020. Health Cluster Guide: a practical handbook.
- Sphere, 2018. Health, en el Sphere Handbook.
- MSF, 2015. On Ebola and WHO reform.
- Gostin, 2014. Global Health and the Law.
- Rowson, 2012. Conceptualising global health: theoretical issues and their relevance for teaching.
- Beaglehole, 2010. What is global health?
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