Advantages and Disadvantages of Globalization on Public Health (Essay Sample)

Advantages and Disadvantages of Globalization on Public Health

Introduction

Globalization has vastly impacted our identities by enabling the experience of diversified material culture. It has increased the integration of worldwide economies through the capital, services, and goods across international borders. The interconnectedness of technologies, businesses, and people creates global cultures by integrating political, cultural, and political practices. You can feel the effects of globalization in different sectors of an economy. In public health, globalization is felt through low-cost health technologies, new health knowledge, and human rights diffusion. However, there are several ways in which globalization can affect public health negatively and positively. This essay will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of globalization and how it affects public health in its broader sense, using illustrations from middle- and low- income countries.
Advantages of Globalization on public health
Transfer of technology
Globalization ensures that there is seamless access to information and knowledge for many people living across the globe. Any county can harness this technology and available information into their public health at a minimal cost. Access to information enables interconnections through the internet, high-speed data links, and satellite television broadcasting across the globe. Hence, the availability of cutting-edge technological devices has greatly improved the quality of healthcare services, reducing the standard healthcare gap between the poor and rich countries [1]. In addition, it is easy to communicate easily across the globe, meaning a public health official in middle- and low- income countries can harness this globalization power to acquire information from regions and high-income countries with better technological skills to treat patients and address different public health issues. In Nigeria and other developing African countries, the pharmaceutical industries largely depend on importing drugs from developed countries since it does not have the sufficient technologies and resources in their chemical industries to develop their drugs [2]. In addition, the high cost of Research and development prohibits the local production of drugs. However, globalization ensures that Nigeria and other middle- and low- income countries can obtain the relevant information and expertise on different public health issues, including modern medicine and medical equipment from China, India, and the United States. Therefore, globalization is useful in facilitating the access of public health information and knowledge to many people living in these middle- and low- income countries.
Agricultural advancements
Globalization provides the necessary agricultural techniques which increase the agricultural productivity of a country. It reduces the risks of crop failure in developing countries to produce enough food to sustain their populations. Most child and maternal deaths in developing countries are a result of malnutrition [3]. Therefore, the increase in global food production through genetic modifications ensures that malnutrition cases in middle- and low- income countries have decreased over the last few years [4]. In addition, globalization enables developing countries to borrow technologies from advanced or developed countries to modify seedlings that adapt to climate changes. It ensures that developing countries can fight climate change by planting drought-resistant trees. Thus, the access to technological advancements due to globalization will enable developing countries to increase their food production.
Better utility Services
Globalization enables developing countries to access better utility services. Technological advancements and the global interconnection of resources have improved the quality of water supply, electricity supply, mobile networking, and other services that are now better than before. The interconnection of services means that some utilities such as water supply are privatized by global corporations that can distribute them locally and internationally. In such cases where the utility is situated in low or middle-income countries, the country will benefit through enhancements such as water treatment and sewerage treatment measures [5]. As such, this will impact the public health standards for the developing country. In addition, globalization increases water and electricity security by facilitating better technological implementations and improved knowledge.
Standardization of Living
The economic integration in globalization has increased the standards of living. It enables poor and middle-income countries to fight against poverty by opening up trade resulting in a higher economic growth rate. Globalization opens up developing countries to trade which increases economic growth. Thus, more people can access quality healthcare and afford better living standards. The level of extreme poverty has declined by over 35% since 1990 due to globalization. Over 1 billion people have moved out of extreme poverty since then. Thus, more people can access quality healthcare and afford better living standards.
Development of Infrastructure
Globalization enables the transfer of technological advancements, which results in the improvement of infrastructure in third-world countries. These infrastructures are essential in providing the country with the capacity to promote health, prevent disease, and respond or prepare for both acute or chronic challenges arising in the health sector. Globalization may increase the monitoring and response speed of infectious diseases in some cases [6]. In addition, globalization ensures that foreign investors can invest in public health in middle- and low- income countries by starting state- of -the art hospitals or clinics with the necessary infrastructure to offer quality health care. These infrastructures enable the centers to provide quality healthcare to the public, such as CT scans, cancer screening, and chemotherapy. Therefore, the availability of this modern medical equipment enables is beneficial to improving the quality of healthcare.
Affordable Products
Globalization enables poor and middle-income countries to provide their people with available products by creating a competitive market for various products. The increase in trade between domestic and international companies forces them to offer goods and services at relatively fair and affordable prices. In addition, the companies adopt a penetration pricing strategy; hence people in third-world countries get access to quality products at fair prices. In public health, healthcare affordability and quality enable more people to acquire quality services in developing countries. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, globalization ensured that public facilities in Africa and other continents could secure protective kits and sanitation products from first-world countries in Europe at affordable prices [7]. It forced the local producers to reduce the prices of their products to compete with foreign competitors. In addition, Nigeria and other African states could secure vaccines from foreign states using international credit lines.