Mini-Course

Global Health Issues: An Overall Panorama, with Focus on Tuberculosis

February 14-25, 2008

Shelly Batra, MD
President, Operation Asha
Sandeep Ahuja, MPP’06
Advisory Board Member, Operation Asha

Course Overview

This course discusses the major diseases of developing countries like malaria, polio and tuberculosis. In addition, it provides proper perspective of the working of the public health system with a focus on the current practices and lacunas. The course will provide in depth coverage of both the medical issues and governance. It will be divided into 4 sessions of 90 minutes each.

The course objectives are to familiarize students with health problems of the developing countries and to present a comprehensive picture of Tuberculosis and the current scenario regarding management. The course will be useful not only for students who are interested in health care but also for others who need to know about the systemic issues in developing countries, i.e. how the system works and how they fail to deliver the goods.

Syllabus

The four lectures will cover the following topics:

Lecture 1: Global Health Problems

View the lecture slides (PDF)

The course will begin with an introduction to the definition and concept of health. This will be followed by classification of diseases, geographical distribution within developing countries, causative and contributory factors and correlation with economic conditions. The impact of social factors, customs, myths and taboos related to disease and their impact on spread will also be discussed throughout the course. There will also be a discussion on the factors determining community health (e.g. Sanitation, population, immunization, accessibility of health centers, availability of health personnel, efficiency etc).

This lecture will cover the following points:

• What are the major global health issues
  • Infective diseases – AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria
  • Lifestyle disorders – obesity, cardiovascular disease etc.
  • Deficiency disorders – anemia, malnutrition, rickets etc.
  • Other Diseases
• Geographical distribution of the above
• Causative and contributory factors, (including social factors, population, customs, myths and taboos related to disease and their impact on spread)
• Economic correlation i.e. cause and effect relationship with diseases

Lecture 2: The Assessment of Health

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The second lecture will cover the parameters used to assess individual health and community health, including basic epidemiology. This will include understanding of specific parameters (e.g. maternal mortality, neonatal mortality, definition and calculation).

This lecture will cover the following points:

• Individual health and community health – how to assess
• Specific parameters (e.g. maternal mortality, neonatal mortality, definition and calculation)
• Factors determining community health (e.g. sanitation, population, immunization, accessibility of health centers, availability of health personnel, efficiency of public health system etc.)

Lecture 3: Tuberculosis – The Latest Epidemic?

View the lecture slides (PDF)

The third lecture will focus on tuberculosis. The reasons which make it a scourge of the modern day will be discussed. The students will be apprised of the medical aspects like failure of the extant vaccine, symptoms, signs, clinical presentation, diagnostic tests, treatment and role of medicines and surgery. History of TB treatment, the latest protocol designed by the World Health Organization and inclusion of TB treatment in the Millennium Development Goals by the United Nations will also be discussed. Also we will talk about the role played by WHO, governments, nonprofits and others in TB control.

This lecture will cover the following points:

• Epidemiology
• Mode of spread
• Incidence – a world wide view
• Why the increase?
• Medical summary (i.e. symptoms, signs, clinical presentation, diagnostic tests required treatment, role of medicines and surgery)
• Role played by WHO, governments, nonprofits and others in TB control
• What we can do to control

Lecture 4: Topics Covered

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View the lecture slides (PDF)

• The Assessment of Health
• History of Operation ASHA
• Problems

The final lecture will bring out the reasons for failure of the attempts to treat and control TB, with a focus on the role of public health agencies. This will bring us to the lacunas in governance, which will be discussed in detail. The methods that can overcome the systemic problems will also be brought out.

This lecture will cover the following points:

• Governance issues in public health programs and TB treatment
• Role of International agencies and foundations in India

Course References

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