International health, also called geographic medicine, international medicine, or global health, is a field of health care, usually with a public health emphasis, dealing with health across regional or national boundaries.

1. International Health
Dr. Shubha DB
Associate Professor
Department of Community Medicine
JJMMC

2. • World Health Organization is a specialized, non political, health agency of the
united nations, with headquarters at Geneva.
• The constitution came into force on 7th April,1948 which is celebrated every year
as “World Health Day”.
• The objective of the WHO is “the attainment by all people of the highest level of
health” which is set out in the preamble of the constitution.

3. • WHO has its own constitution, own governing
bodies, own membership and own budget.
• It is part of, but not subordinate to, the united
Nations.
• Membership in WHO is open to all countries.
While most countries are members of both the
UN and of WHO, there are some differences. For
e.g.. Switzerland is a member of WHO, but not of
the UNO.
• Each member state contributes yearly to the
budget & each is entitled to the services & aid
the organization provide.
• In 1948, the WHO had 56 members. Currently
WHO had 194 member states

4. Structure of WHO
WHO
World Health
Assembly/Parliament
The Executive Board The Secretariat The Regions (6)
The member
countries (194)

5. THE WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY:
a) This is the “Health Parliament” of Nations and the supreme governing body of the organization.
b) The main functions of the Health Assembly are
(i) To determine international health policy and programmes.
(ii) To review the work of the past year.
(iii) To approve the budget needed for the following year.
(iv) To elect Member States to designate a person to serve for three years on the Executive Board
and to replace the retiring members.
(V) It also appoints the Director General on the nomination of the Executive Board.

6. THE EXECUTIVE BOARD:
• The members of the Board are to be “technically qualified in the field of health”.
• The Executive Board meets twice a year, generally in January and May.
• The main work of the board is to give effect to the decisions and polices of the
Assembly.
• It also has power to take action in emergency conditions, such as epidemics,
earthquakes and floods.

7. THE SECRETARIAT:
• It is headed by the Director General (Dr. Tedros
Adhanom Ghebreyesus) who is the chief
technical and administrative officer of the
organization.
• The primary function of it is to provide Members
States with technical and managerial support for
their national health development programmes.
• There are 5 Assistant Director Generals who are
responsible for the work of such divisions as
may from time to time be assigned to them by
the Director general.

8. The secretariat has the following divisions:
1. Division of epidemiological surveillance and health situation and trend assessment.
2. Division of communicable diseases.
3. Division of vector biology and control.
4. Division of environmental health.
5. Division of public information and education for health.
6. Division of mental health.
7. Division of diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitative technology.
8. Division of strengthening of health services.
9. Division of family health.
10. Division of non-communicable diseases.
11. Division of health man power development.
12. Division of information systems support.
13. Division of personnel and general services.
14. Division of budget and finance.

9. Regions of WHO:
It has six regional organizations, which were established to meet the special health
needs of different areas.
These regional organizations implements the policies and programmes of the WHO,
headed by the Regional Director.

10. Functions of WHO:
• Its first Constitutional function is to act as the directing and coordinating authority
on all international health work.
• It also has specific responsibilities for establishing and promoting international
standards in the field of health.

11. 1. PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF SPECIFIC DISEASES:
• The important activity of WHO is epidemiological surveillance of communicable
diseases.
• It collects and disseminates epidemiological information on diseases through
Automatic Telex Reply Services (ATRS) and the “Weekly Epidemiological Record”
(WER).
• It also paid attention to non-communicable disease problems such as cancer,
cardiovascular diseases, genetic disorders, mental disorders, drug addiction and
dental diseases.
• Immunization against common diseases of childhood is now a priority programme of
the WHO.

12. 2. DEVELOPMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH SERVICES:
• Its most important single function is to promote and support national health policy
development and the development of comprehensive national health programmes.
• This field encompasses activities such as organizing health systems based on PHC,
the health manpower and utilization, building of long-term national capability in the
areas of health infrastructure development and health services research.
• Appropriate Technology for Health is a new programme launched by WHO to
encourage self-sufficiency in solving health problems.

13. 3. HEALTH STATISTICS:
• In the earlier days, it was concerned with the dissemination of morbidity and
mortality statistics which were published in the Weekly Epidemiological Record,
World Health Statistics Quarterly and Annuals.
• Apart from the statistics of different countries, WHO publishes “International
Classification of Diseases” which is updated every 10th year.
• Assistance is also given to countries in the improvement of medical records,
planning and operating national health information systems.

14. 4. BIO-MEDICAL RESEARCH:
• It has established a world-wide network of WHO collaborating centres, besides
awarding grants to research workers and institutions for promoting research.
• Six tropical diseases, malaria, schistosomiasis, trypanosomiasis, filariasis,
leishmaniasis and leprosy are the target of the WHO special programme for
Research and Training in Tropical Diseases to develop new tools, strengthen
research institutions and training workers in the countries affected.

15. 5. HEALTH LITERATURE AND INFORMATION:
• It acts as a clearing house for information on health problems.
• Its library is one of the satellite centres of the Medical Literature Analysis and
Retrieval System (MEDLARS) of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
• MEDLARS is the only fully computerized indexing system covering the whole of
medicine on an international basis.

16. 6. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH:
• It advices governments on national programmes for the provision of basic sanitary
services.
• Recent activities are directed to protection of the quality of air, water and food;
health conditions of work, radiation protection and early identification of new
hazards.
• Programmes like ‘WHO Environment health Criteria Programme’, ‘WHO
Environment Health Monitoring Programme’ were developed towards improving
environmental health.

17. 7. FAMILY HEALTH:
• It is one of the major activities of WHO since 1970.
• It is broadly divided into maternal and child health care, human reproduction,
nutrition and health education.

18. 8. COOPERATION WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS:
• It collaborates with the UN and other specialized agencies, and maintains various
degrees of working relationships.
• It has established relations with international governmental organizations.

19. PROGRAMMES OF WHO:
1. Health and biomedical information programme.
2. Malaria action programme.
3. Parasitic diseases programme.
4. Expanded programme on immunization.
5. Diarrheal diseases control programme.
6. Programme for external co-ordination.
7. Special programme for research and training in tropical diseases.
8. Special programme of research development and research training in human reproduction.
9. Action programme on essential drugs.
10. Special programme on AIDS.
11. Pharmaceuticals.
12. Health for all strategy co-ordination.
13. Office of research promotion and development.

21. UNICEF
• International health agency
• It is a specialized health agency of UNO
• Created initially to provide emergency food and medicine to children after 2nd
world war in countries devastated by war.
• It was created by UN General assembly on December 11, 1946.
• It stands for UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S EMERGENCY
FUND.

22. • Because of its success in helping children after world war II, it began working
for children all over the world
• It became a permanent part of UN system in 1953.
• It’s name was then shortened to UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN’S FUND but
retained the previous initials.
• It now works in about 192 countries.

23. Structure of UNICEF
• It has a 36 member Executive Board that makes the
policies, approves programs, oversees administrative
&financial plans.
• The members are elected by UN Economic and Social
Council for a term of 3 yrs.
• It is now headed by Ms. Catherine M. Russell and
headquartered in New York.
• It’s supply division’s headquarter is Copenhagen.
• It’s work is carried across the world by 7 regional offices.

24. • It is supported entirely with voluntary funds (2/3rd from governments; remaining
from National Committees & private groups).
• National Committees are non-governmental organizations that play an important
role in fund raising in western countries.
• UNICEF also makes partnerships with world class athletes and teams to promote its
work& raise funds. e.g.: FC Barcelona, ICC.

25. Services..
• UNICEF’s work is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
• It is now giving importance to concept of “whole child”.
• It means that assistance should be given not only to health and nutrition but to also
to their long-term personnel development and to development of country in which
they live.

26. Priorities
It currently focuses on five services..
Education & Gender equality
Child Survival & Health
Integrated Early Child Development
Fight against HIV/ AIDS
Child protection

27. EDUCATION
• It works to improve the access of boys and girls to quality primary
education and also for its completion.
• Girls are the focus.
Gender inequality
More vulnerable to poverty, HIV/AIDS & exploitation if
uneducated.
Education benefits not only girls but also their future children.
• Reducing the school dropouts of girl.
• Improving the quality of education in poor countries.

28. CHILD HEALTH
• Immunization is the method supported by UNICEF has made great
improvements in the health of children e.g. Universal Immunization
Programme/EPI
• The immunization program is directed against the 6 communicable
diseases-TB, Polio, Diphtheria, measles, pertussis & tetanus.
• Other methods include:
Micronutrient supplementation
Sanitation & Safe water supply
Nutrition & Breast feeding promotion

29. • UNICEF’s role in advancing child survival and health extends across a
number of areas, including:
Engaging in policy advocacy.
Improving health services.
Monitoring and evaluation.
• In near future it targets at
Eradicating polio throughout world.
Eliminating neonatal tetanus.
Reduce the deaths caused by measles

30. GOBI – FFF Campaign
• It is to encourage 7 strategies for ‘Child Health Revolution’.
-G - Growth charts to monitor child development.
-O - Oral rehydration to treat dehydration.
-B - Breast feeding.
-I - Immunization.
-F - Food fortification
-F - Family planning
-F - Female literacy
• UNICEF is also participating in UBS (urban basic services) to improve
quality of survival & development of children of low income families.

31. Integrated Early Child Development
• The ECD approach is based on fact that children if given proper care in early
years could be healthy, emotionally strong…
• The interventions include:
Educating and supporting parents.
Developing capacities of teachers.
Mass communications to increase the knowledge of parents and care
takers.

32. Child Protection
• An estimated 300 million children are subjected to violence,
abuse, exploitation like child labour, genital mutilation,
armed conflict & child marriages.
• UNICEF believes that children have the right to survival,
growth &development and they have to be safeguarded.

33.  UNICEF works with various partners to enforce laws and policies that
protect children.
Port managers to prevent trafficking.
It support families & communities to look out for their children.
Organizations like ILO helps it in identifying child labour and give
assistance for their education.

34. Fighting against HIV/AIDS
• Around 40 million children around world are infected
with HIV
In 2005, UNICEF along with its partners, launched “Unite
for Children, Unite against AIDS” campaign to put children
on global agenda.
It believes in the concept of 4P’s
• Preventing transmission from mother-to-child.
• Pediatric care and treatment
• Primary prevention
• Protection, care and support

35. Water, environment and sanitation
• Through sanitation programme, UNICEF works towards maximizing the
health benefits of young children.
• UNICEF’s strategy for WASH (2016 to 2030) and Strategic Plan (2018 to
2022) seek to ensure that every child lives in a clean and safe
environment, gains access to basic sanitation and safe drinking water in
early childhood development centres, schools, health centres and in
humanitarian situations.

36. UNICEF in Emergencies
• Emergency is the fundamental mission on which
UNICEF is created.
• During a crisis, UNICEF focuses on meeting the
basic needs of women and children as well as
protecting their fundamental rights.

37. Innocenti Research Centre
• UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, was established in 1988, in
Florence, Italy.
• It is to strengthen the research capability of the United Nations
Children's Fund.
• It’s main objectives are:
To improve economic policies.
Improve understanding of Child Rights.

38. MILE STONES
• UNICEF is awarded the 1965 Nobel Peace Prize “for
the promotion of brotherhood among nations.”
• The Convention on Rights of Child is adopted by UN
General Assembly in 1990.
• “Say Yes For Children” campaign is launched in
2001.

39. UNICEF in INDIA
• UNICEF started it services in India in the year 1949.
• Of the 7 regional offices of UNICEF one is at New Delhi for South Central Asian
Region (Afghanistan, India, the Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal & Sri Lanka).
• The content of services and priorities are the same for India as of world with little
modifications.

40. UNICEF contributions to Child Health in India:
• Supported India’s BCG vaccination programme.
• Assisted in erection of India’s first Penicillin & DDT plants.
• It supported the Community Health Worker’s scheme launched by
Central Gov.
• It supported the NGWEP and made India free of guinea worm by
2000.

41. Nutrition
• Funded the world’s 1st milk processing plant.
• Assisted the government in various programs like
Applied Nutrition Programme & Special Nutrition
Programme.
• Dular Project.
• Working to promote Iodized salt.

42. Child Development Programme
• It works with National Council of Educational Research and Training
(NCERT) & UNESCO to reorganize teaching science in schools.
• It provides supplies to the government’s ICDS (Integrated Child
Development Services) programme.
• Bihar Education Project.

43. IN EMERGENCIES
• It worked along with Indian government to save the children of fleeing
refugees of East Pakistan during 1971-72.
• Supported state Gov. during Orissa cyclone.
• During 2001 Gujarat earthquake it provided medical relief, child
protection services, safe drinking water & opened temporary schools.
• During the 2004 tsunami it provided immediate relief & organization
to reach Nicobar islands.

44. • It assisted relief operations during Bihar drought in
1966.
• It is a key partner in governments rural water
supply programme and helped in the development
of Mark II hand pumps.
• It supports “Mahila Samakhya”- meaning education
for women’s equality.