MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 20, 2011) – Public health is crucial to the development of any nation and in recent decades, the health of the people is increasingly being put at risk by social and environmental factors that cross national boundaries.
“Urbanization, population aging and climate change are creating a new context for health and development,” said Dr. Dinah Nadera, Associate Professor at the UP Open University.
She said non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases are becoming more prevalent both in developed and developing countries.
The emergence and rapid international spread of the deadly SARS in 2003 and the H1N1 Influenza pandemic scare emphasized the need for global action to prevent and control the infection. The greater impacts of natural disasters and climate change on population have also emphasized the need for international and inter-sectoral action.
“These public health issues need to be dealt with in the broader context of economic and social development, and no single country, regardless of capability or wealth, can protect itself from outbreaks and other hazards without the cooperation of others.” Dr. Nadera said.
“Poorly-resourced governments suffer the greatest burden because health promotive and disease preventive programs are hardly sustained and unequally distributed across populations. “It is in this context of global health safety that international health finds its relevance.International health as a discipline faces the challenge of countering threats to health resulting from economic crises, unhealthy environments and risky behavior,” she added.
While there are a few universities in Asia that offer a course in International Health, none of them offers the program through distance education.
The UP Open University, being the cyber campus of the University of the Philippines, seeks to address this gap by offering a degree in Diploma in/Master of International Health starting June 2012.
The programs are intended for entering and mid-career health professionals who are looking for graduate-level education and training that will prepare them for supervisory work in government health departments, local and international non-government organizations engaged in health and development work.
UPOU’s courses in international health are unique in the Asia-Pacific region for giving equal emphasis to health promotion and health systems development.
Both graduate programs are designed for medical and other professionals working in the field of health and development like nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, allied medical professions, social work and related fields, with at least a baccalaureate degree in science.
The new courses will be delivered online and can be taken by the students regardless of their location. UPOU’s graduate programs in international health hope to contribute to this area by developing public health professionals that are theoretically-grounded, culturally-competent, and technically-skilled.
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