Remi Blog Post 5
Remi Adefioye
Blog post 5
May 4, 2022
In the article, “Silences Voices in Global Health,” the author describes current movements which aim to improve the representation of the global south and ultimately tackle the power structure in global health. Additionally, the author believes that whilst improving inclusion in global health is required, to change the power structures in global health there needs to be a new and fair world order. After reading this article, I thought about the pandemic and its effect on developing countries. While some people have argued for a reform of the World Health Organization due to its inadequate response during the pandemic, I believe the first problem that needs to be addressed in global health is improving the health systems in developing countries. As we have seen during the pandemic, many developing countries have struggled. Unsurprisingly, NGOs and donors have been the primary providers of health services. Even though these organizations are providing much-needed assistance, they are also contributing to the limitations of healthcare systems strengthening. NGOs provide a short-term fix and in the end, make it difficult for countries to build stronger and long-term health systems. These organizations prioritize money over the well-being of societies because they are more accountable to their funders. They often do not work closely with the government, which creates a lack of coordination and communication creating inefficiency. Lastly, NGOs usually do not understand the broader social and economic context of the country. For many years, developing countries have been victims of outflows and I don't think NGOs are filling the gap. Improving these countries is complex and difficult and ultimately, I believe NGOs cause more harm than good as a long-term solution in global health.
While I do believe that NGOs are a quick fix to a much larger, systematic problem, I disagree with your conclusion that they cause more harm than good. It is completely justified that NGOs often lack communication with a state's government because typically the reason the the NGOs are in that place in the first place is because the government is either too disorganized, corrupt, poorly funded, lacks legitimate care for its people, or a combination of the four. Running everything through a such a government would render the NGOs inefficient and useless in their endeavor to provide aid to those who are sick and cannot seek treatment anywhere else. Do you believe that NGOs and governments can truly work in harmony over global health issues in the future?
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