AFRO-NETS> RFI: World Bank Policies on Health in Third World Communities

[Maria Applewhite <mapplewhite@earthlink.net>]

RFI: World Bank Policies on Health in Third World Communities
-------------------------------------------------------------
 
It just occurred that AFRO-NETS might be able to head me in the 
right direction with this question I have. If it isn't, please, 
simply trash this e-mail! I fear that I might be barking up the 
wrong tree.
 
I am a public health nurse, currently living in Cleveland, Ohio. 
I am finishing up my last year of course work to receive my MPH 
with a focus on international health from Case Western Reserve 
University.
 
At the moment I am trying to plan my Capstone Project (my the-
sis). I have spent quite some time looking at the effect of World 
Bank policies on health in third world communities. For my Cap-
stone, I would like to examine this issue from the eyes of a spe-
cific community, township, refugee camp, clinic, health policy or 
the like. In other words, I would like to examine this issue from 
the bottom up, instead as from the top down.
 
For instance, one idea that I have is to look at how the World 
Bank uses their Daily Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) mathematical 
equation to justify their funding (or stopping funding) for 
health care initiatives all over the globe. This mathematical ba-
sis for health care funding has been both praised for its logic, 
and equally criticised for its insaneness. [Can quality of life 
be measured numerically? How are cultural differences taken into 
account of what constitutes a "good life"? What is the socio-
cultural impact of having disabled people be entitled to fewer 
health resources...?]
 
I wonder if I could find specific communities or health care ini-
tiatives that were cut because they did not meet the World Bank's 
DALY/"cost-effective" criteria -- and then examine the repercus-
sions of such cost cutting from a local perspective.
 
I am sure there are many other ways for me to examine how funding 
from the developed world (World Bank, IMF, USAID...) directly de-
termines, not to mention, directly undermines public health out-
comes. [Such as through the issue of water privatization.]
 
Grasping the broad topics of water privatization, or World Bank 
financing of global health initiatives is not difficult. The 
challenge for me is in finding specific "community(ies)" (that 
would be accessible to me at some point) that I could use to il-
lustrate the affects of globalisation on a very local level.
 
I would appreciate any advice you have on where I should turn for 
help with this issue. And if you cannot help me at all, I of 
course, understand that as well.
 
Yours very truly,
 
Maria Applewhite 
3027 Warrington Road 
Shaker Heights
Ohio 44120, USA 
mailto:mapplewhite@earthlink.net

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