In Your Opinion, Who Are The Major Organizational Actors? ✓ Solved

In your opinion, who are the major organizational actors in global health and what challenges do they face in regards to the enhancement of global health? When a natural disaster or complex humanitarian emergency occurs, the resulting impacts include communicable and infectious disease outbreaks, insufficient medical supplies, contamination of food and water sources, exacerbated medical and mental health issues, and secondary disasters such as floods, hurricanes, etc. These impacts differ from complex humanitarian emergencies because they directly affect human health.

In global health, a broad ecosystem of actors shapes policy, funding, and implementation. The major organizational actors include intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations (UN) agencies (e.g., UNICEF, UNDP), the World Bank and other multilateral financial institutions, national ministries of health and related government agencies, bilateral donors (e.g., aid agencies from high-income countries), non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and Oxfam, philanthropic foundations (e.g., the Gates Foundation), academic and research institutions, professional associations, and the private sector including pharmaceutical and logistics companies. Together, these actors shape norms, set standards, mobilize funding, implement programs, and monitor progress toward health outcomes.

Despite their central role, these actors face a common set of challenges that hinder the enhancement of global health. A foundational issue is funding and financing arrangements. Public health funding remains volatile and often earmarked for disease-specific programs rather than holistic health system strengthening, which can undermine long-term resilience (Institute of Medicine, 2012). A unified approach and reliable appropriations are needed to deploy comprehensive public health packages that address prevention, surveillance, and care across sectors (Institute of Medicine, 2012). Fragmentation and coordination problems arise when many actors operate in overlapping spaces without clear accountability, leading to inefficiencies and gaps in coverage (Everybody’s Business: Strengthening Health Systems to Improve Health Outcomes, WHO, 2007). Governance challenges also manifest in disparities of authority and legitimacy between IGOs, donor-driven agendas, and national sovereignty concerns, complicating rapid decision-making during crises (World Bank, 2017).

Another major obstacle is the variability in health system capacity across countries. Effective global health action requires health system strengthening—adequate financing, trained workforce, reliable supply chains, functional information systems, and leadership. When actors focus on peak crises rather than continuous system development, the result can be episodic responses with limited sustainability (WHO, 2007). Data availability and quality also hamper coordination; without timely surveillance and transparent reporting, responding to disease outbreaks or malnutrition becomes slower and less effective (Urban Institute, 2018).

Equity and access concerns persist as well. Global health actors must confront inequities in who benefits from interventions, geographic disparities, and marginalization of vulnerable populations. Translating global guidance into locally appropriate programs requires context-specific understanding, community engagement, and culturally competent delivery—areas where NGOs, civil society, and academic partners often contribute but also face funding and capacity constraints (UNDP, 2015; UNICEF, 2016).

Governance and accountability are compounded by political economy factors. Donor priorities, national politics, and competing development objectives can steer resources away from essential public health functions like prevention, health promotion, and health workforce training. The literature emphasizes the need for coherent policy frameworks and clear roles among actors to ensure investments translate into durable health gains (Institute of Medicine, 2012).

Within the context of disasters and complex humanitarian emergencies, public health professionals play a critical frontline role. They are trained to identify, triage, and manage infectious disease threats; implement infection-control measures; ensure the rapid provision of essential services and supplies; educate communities; and coordinate with medical facilities and other sectors to break the chain of infection. Their work hinges on strong surveillance systems, rapid risk assessments, and ongoing training of healthcare workers and volunteers. The literature highlights that timely prevention and control measures—supported by robust infrastructure for water, sanitation, food safety, and shelter—are central to mitigating health impacts in disasters (Urban Institute, 2018; WHO, 2007).

Surveillance and risk communication are especially crucial. Effective disease surveillance enables rapid identification of outbreaks and dissemination of guidance to curb transmission. Transparent risk communication builds trust and encourages protective behaviors such as hand hygiene and safe food and water practices. Public health professionals also advocate for preparedness planning, stockpiling essential medicines and supplies, and ensuring that vaccination campaigns and other preventive interventions are feasible even under crisis conditions (Urban Institute, 2018; Institute of Medicine, 2012).

Operational and funding challenges remain salient in disaster contexts. A unified, adequately funded framework that integrates disaster risk reduction, emergency response, and routine health system strengthening is needed to prevent lag times in response and to sustain health gains during recovery (RAND Health, 2013; Urban Institute, 2018). The International Health Regulations (2005) and related governance instruments underscore the importance of timely information sharing and cross-border cooperation, but their effectiveness requires genuine political commitment, capacity-building, and accountability across actors (Institute of Medicine, 2012).

To move toward enhanced global health, stakeholders should prioritize several reforms. First, strengthen health systems through sustained investments in primary care, workforce development, supply-chain resilience, information systems, and governance. Second, improve coordination mechanisms to reduce duplication, standardize reporting, and align objectives among IGOs, donors, NGOs, and governments. Third, enhance data quality and transparency to enable evidence-based decision-making and equitable allocation of resources. Fourth, invest in public health research and knowledge translation to ensure that best practices reach frontline providers and communities. Fifth, emphasize community engagement and culturally appropriate interventions to address behavioral and social determinants of health. Finally, cultivate a flexible funding landscape that supports both preventive health programs and rapid disaster response, enabling resilience when shocks occur (Institute of Medicine, 2012; WHO, 2007; World Bank, 2017; UNICEF, 2016; UNDP, 2015; RAND Health, 2013; Urban Institute, 2018).

In sum, the major organizational actors in global health—IGOs, national governments, NGOs, foundations, academia, and the private sector—have the potential to advance health outcomes significantly. However, their collective impact is constrained by funding volatility, governance fragmentation, capacity gaps, data limitations, and governance tensions. Strengthening health systems, improving coordination, and investing in prevention, surveillance, and education—especially in disaster and emergency settings—are essential to enhancing global health in the long term. The public health workforce, with well-supported training and resources, remains central to achieving these aims (Institute of Medicine, 2012; Urban Institute, 2018).

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References

• Institute of Medicine (US). (2012). For the Public’s Health: Investing in a Healthier Future. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
• World Health Organization. (2007). Everybody’s Business: Strengthening Health Systems to Improve Health Outcomes. Geneva: WHO.
• World Bank. (2017). World Development Report 2017: Governance and the Law. Washington, DC: World Bank.
• UNICEF. (2016). The State of the World’s Children 2016: A Fair Chance for Every Child. New York: UNICEF.
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). (2015). Human Development Report 2015: Work for Human Development. New York: UNDP.
• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). (2019). MSF Annual Report 2019. Paris: MSF.
• The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. (2020). Annual Report 2020. Geneva: The Global Fund.
• RAND Health. (2013). Worksite Wellness Programs Study: Final Report. Santa Monica: RAND Corporation.
• Urban Institute. (2018). When Disaster Strikes: Risk, Mitigation Strategies, and Recovery. Washington, DC: Urban Institute.
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2014). Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Capabilities. Atlanta: CDC.