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'Sustainability' in global health
Alice Yang1, Paul E Farmer, Anita M McGahan
1Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Global Public Health
|March 10, 2010
Summary
Rethinking sustainability in public health programs is crucial. Viewing health as a self-sustaining investment, rather than focusing on consumable interventions, leads to better long-term community health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Health Policy
- Health Economics
Background:
- Sustainability is a key funding criterion for public health programs, driven by concerns over care discontinuity.
- Current sustainability approaches often favor infrastructure and training, overlooking long-term health as an investment.
- Existing frameworks prioritize consumable medical interventions over holistic health development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose a reconceptualization of sustainability criteria in public health.
- To advocate for viewing health as an inherently sustaining and sustainable investment.
- To challenge the focus on consumable medical interventions in sustainability assessments.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis and argumentation.
- Critique of existing sustainability frameworks in public health.
- Proposal of an alternative framework for sustainable health outcomes.
Main Results:
- Reconceptualizing sustainability shifts focus from medical interventions to health as an investment.
- Tailoring time horizons for value creation is essential for community health.
- Funders and coordinating bodies are better positioned to develop integrated, sustainable programs.
Conclusions:
- Sustainable health outcomes require a paradigm shift in how sustainability is defined and measured.
- Health should be viewed as a long-term investment, not merely a series of interventions.
- Integrated programs developed by funders and coordinating bodies are key to achieving true sustainability.
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