ESSAY: Global Healthcare Comparison Matrix and Narrative Statement

To Prepare:

Review the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global health agenda and select one global health issue to focus on for this Assignment.
Select at least one additional country to compare to the U.S. for this Assignment.
Reflect on how the global health issue you selected is approached in the U.S. and in the additional country you selected.
Review and download the Global Health Comparison Matrix provided in the Resources.

ANSWER

Global Health Comparison Grid Template

Use this document to complete the Module 6 Assessment Global Healthcare Comparison Matrix and Narrative Statement

Global Healthcare Issue	HIV
Description	According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the HIV epidemic continues to spread, with over a million individuals dying of HIV/AIDS every year. Seventy million people have acquired the infection since it began where 35 million have died and another 37 million live with HIV. Certain minority groups such as prisoners, sex workers, transgender people, and gay men are difficult to reach and are often excluded in health policies and services. Young women and girls between ages 15-24 in sub-Saharan Regions are at high risk and account for 1 out of 4 (Allen, 2019).
Country	United States	Canada
Describe the policy in each country related to the identified healthcare issue	In the US, about 1.1 million people live with HIV and one in seven are unaware of their status. About 66% of new cases in 2017 accounted for gay men. In 2010, President Obama instituted the nation’s first National HIV/AIDS Strategy, which was updated in 2015 to run till 2020. The main objectives of the plan are to reduce new HIV infections, enhancing health outcomes for persons living with HIV, increasing accessibility to care, minimizing disparities among HIV-infected people and inequities in health, and attaining a synchronized response to the epidemic.	The government of Canada instituted the Federal Initiative to combat HIV/AIDS. The initiative is responsible for funding support and prevention programs that reach primary priority individuals, as well as surveillance, research, evaluation, and public awareness. The main goals of the initiative are preventing the transmission and acquisition of new infections, minimize the socio-economic impacts of the disease, curbing HIV/AIDS progression and enhance life quality, and contributing to the world-wide effort of reducing HIV spread and minimize the disease’s impact.
What are the strengths of this policy?	The main strengths of the policy include the use of recent scientific technologies like the pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), striking a balance between the general population’s needs and individuals …	The initiative’s role has integrated well with the directives of every partner of the federal government as well as other countries like the US. The flexible nature of the initiative ensures that it shifts with the changing context of addressing major HIV/AIDS issues. The i…
What are the weaknesses of this policy?	One of the major weaknesses of NHAS is that it does not have quantitative estimates concerning the unsatisfied needs of the population size, nor estimates of the required resources to meet such needs, nor, the estimates of the return on investment of the said resources to public health.	Since its inception, HIV/AIDS remains a major concern for a majority of infected people in Canada. This is a result of the failure of the initiative to cater to the increased treatment, support, and care for the people living with HIV.
Explain how the social determinants of health may impact the specified global health issue. (Be specific and provide examples)	Even though HIV/AIDS infection rates and mortality of individuals with the disease declined between 2010-2014, there still exists ethnic/social differences (Avert, 2019). HIV/AIDS is prevalent among minority groups, particularly the Latino and African American populations. Many scholars have conceptualized Social determinants of health as key drivers of public health. They include the economic, political, structural and social mechanisms that mold risk behaviors that mold personal health. For example, factors like unemployment, inadequate housing,..	The Public Health Agency of Canada listed the social determinants of health as education, social status, income, unemployment, inaccessibility to care, culture, and gender (Public Health Agency of Canada. 2012). These factors play a significant role in the transmission of HIV as well as the ability of individuals to receive or seek HIV care, treatment, and support. For example, poverty leads to cases of low-esteem, which makes people lack a sense of belonging in the community causing risky behavior patterns. The understanding of these social determinants may either facilitate or impede the HIV initiative process and HIV prevention. As such structural interventions such as programs and policies are necessary to change these risky behavior patterns. Some of these policies include the creation of policies and legal environments allowing programs for needle exchange and safer sites for consumption. Introduction of anti-stigma campaigns to minimize ….
How has each country’s government addressed cost, quality, and access to the selected global health issue?	In the US 40% of new HIV cases are caused by people living with the disease and have not been diagnosed. The government introduced the Medicare program, which included annual testing for all…	The Federal Initiative funds HIV/AIDS support and prevention programs in the country. To improve the quality of care, the Federal Initiative has engaged and partnered with local, global, and national, and non-governmental…
How has the identified health policy impacted the health of the global population? (Be specific and provide examples)	The US instituted the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR) (Jesus & Williams, 2018) to respond to the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. It is the…	The Federal Initiative has played an important role in the prevention, care, diagnosis, support, and treatment of HIV/AIDS. Its role properly…
Describe the potential impact of the identified health policy on the role of the nurse in each country.	National health policies have had a significant impact on the role of nurses. As professionals, nurses have the responsibility and capacity of influencing future …	In Canada, despite the institution of the federal initiative, cases of HIV infections remain high (Public Health Agency of Canada. 2012). Due to this increase, the …
Explain how global health issues impact local healthcare organizations and policies in both countries. (Be specific and provide examples)	Global health issues may have a significant impact on local health institutions as well as their policies. For example, in the US, 1.1 million people are living with HIV.  Such f…	Global health issues remain a concern for health organizations in Canada. Most health facilities in the country struggle to remain relevant and up-to-date with health issues. As such, health facilities must …
General Notes/Comments	In general, the policy has performed its intended purpose despite minor setbacks.	Despite the creation of the Federal Initiative, HIV rates of infection remain high in Canada.

References

Allen, E. (2019). Annual Reviews WHO Top Threats to Global Health. DOI: 10.14293/s2199-1006.1.sor-uncat.cl25im3.v1

Avert. (2019, October 10). HIV and AIDS in the United States of America (USA). Retrieved January 29, 2020, from https://www.avert.org/professionals/hiv-around-world/western-central-europe-north-america/usa

Jesus, M. D., & Williams, D. R. (2018). The Care and Prevention in the United States Demonstration Project: A Call for More Focus on the Social Determinants of HIV/AIDS. Public Health Reports, 133(2_suppl). DOI: 10.1177/0033354918801353

Public Health Agency of Canada. (2012, March 20). Government of Canada. Retrieved January 29, 2020, from https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/hiv-aids/federal-initiative-address-hiv-aids-canada.html

Watkins, D. (2019). Policy options for tackling diet-related noncommunicable diseases. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 97(7). DOI: 10.2471/blt.19.236356