The events of September 11th changed the world by initiating a new
war to eliminate terrorism.
Even though these events may seem dreadful to everyone, two thirds
of opinion leaders polled outside the USA said it was ``good that Americans
know what it is like to be vulnerable.’ ’ This December 2001
poll of 275 opinion leaders in 24 countries conducted by the Pew Research
Center for the People and the Press also indicated that nearly three
out of five who reside outside America believe U.S. policies were a
major cause of the attack. Yet, on the other hand, only one in five
inside America viewed U.S. policies as a cause.
Regardless of leadership opinion, many now are beginning to realize
there are many factors necessary to make the world safer. While it is
important to combat and eliminate the hatred and violence head-on, we
must equally address the issues that contribute to the animosity.
To improve life for the millions who do not have the opportunity to
attain the quality or the quantity of life associated with development,
we must advocate for sharing of the 21st century’s wealth and opportunities.
The current world situation that breeds lifelong poverty drains human
and societal resources, driving despair and hatred in the globalized
``order.’ ’ Indira Gandhi warned of this years ago in describing
the environmental plight: ``Poverty is the greatest
polluter.’ ’ She pointed out the obvious: As long as people
are poor, their immediate issue is survival.
A new global insecurity has emerged as new and old threat s make no
distincti on between races, nations, or regions. This insecurity has
redirected resources for preparation against a possible human-made smallpox
scourge along with continued spending for military might to advance
security through strength.
In the past, the world has attempted to address such security issues
with treaties. Recently, many of the important ones have not included
the U.S. as a signatory.
As the treaty mechanism itself has become less effective, UK Prime
Minister Tony Blair has suggested we must begin to profess responsibility
and develop a new Moral Order - an ``order’ ’ as a monument
of everlasti ng good, a testament to those who have lost their lives
as a result of terrorism.
One of the first critical steps toward that new moral order is to invest
in health and education to prevent more than 13 million people from
dying each year of infectious and other diseases.
While we have known for years that people who are poor and illiterate
are more likely to get sick, we now know much more about how ill health
also creates and perpetuates poverty, triggering a vicious cycle that
hampers economic and social development.
In December 2001, 18 of the world’s leading economists and health
experts presented a WHO report entitled ``Macroeconomics and Health:
Investing in Health for Economic Development.’ ’ It views
investment in human resources with health as a key factor in economic
growth and social development. This emphasis is crucial to over-coming
lifelong poverty for millions, as just a few health conditions are responsible
for a high proportion of the avoidable deaths in many poor countries.
This report provides additional evidence that health gains trigger
economic growth that can lead to poverty reduction. With communication
as a crucial element in advocating health, this could translat e into
well-targeted measures that could save the lives of some eight million
people per year while generating economic benefits of more than $360
billion annually by 2015-2020.
On average, the cost of providing the essentia l interventions per
person per year in low- and middle-income countries will be $34 as of
2007. In contrast, over 100 times that amount is currently spent per
person in the United States. Extrapolating this to provide the essential
health interventions in the low-income countries, it would be about
$66 billion per year. If the costs were borne between the high-income
countries and spent on effective, evidence-based interventions that
would be developed with the low-income countries, the economic benefits
would vastly outstrip the costs of the program.
By allocating economic resources to lead to improvements in people’s
health, we would be morally advocating an ``order’ ’ with
ideal investments in the prime asset of humankind. If the world’s
poorest countries are to have any chance of catching up with the rest,
investment in health yields a high return.
This also means investing in education so that people are able to learn
to their full potential, earn their living, and nurture their children,
older people, or those with disabilities.
Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen identifies the inequities as ``global omissions’
’ - the absence of an adequately strong, globally shared effort
to combat the lack of educational facilities and healthcare. He calls
for an urgent need for a comprehensive program of global cooperation
in eradicating illiteracy and untreated illnesses.
Even though we can use the recent exigency of health insecurity and
bioterrorism and the known focal threats of HIV, malaria, and other
infectious diseases (e.g., tuberulosis), we must also continue to leverage
communication among other causes of ill health.
One example is that both the XIX Olympic Winter Games and the VIII
Paralympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City in February 2002 will be tobacco-free
events. This symbolizes the moral obligation to protect smokers and
nonsmokers alike by prohibiting the use and sale of tobacco products.
A similar concept is the theme of World Health Day 2002 - ``Fit for
Health.’ ’ It builds on the ancient ideal, ``mens sana in
corpora sana’ ’ - a healthy mind in a healthy body. By focusing
on fitness and physical activity, it too can contribute to improving
the health of populations globally and of generating a positive sense
of well-being.
The crucial role of communication to advocate that health be taken
seriously at the highest levels of political leadership and also part
of the daily diet and lifestyle of the global citizen is paramount.
To be effective, this ``moral order’ ’ would include health
as a cornerstone in wider social , economic, and political contexts.
Our 21st century moral obligation for action is the right thing to
do in a world with hatred and armaments commanding center stage. We
have the opportunity to save the lives of millions of people, to promote
health, and also to provide freedom from disease. The ultimate outcome
will be happier people living in better communities and a global society
we all can be proud to be a part of.
__________
Scott C. Ratzan is editor of the Journal of Health Communication:
International Perspectives. He also has
served as senior technical adviser in the Bureau of Global Health at
the United States Agency for International
Development , Washington, DC.
