Ethics of International Health Systems Development

How should just health care systems be built and with whom? For the global North, fulfilling its duties to the global South is socially, politically, economically, and culturally fraught. Being a good global health professional requires not only clinical expertise, but also cultural humility, knowledge of ethics, and understanding of the roles of medicine in colonial history.

Volume 18, Number 7: 659-757 Full Issue PDF
  • From the Editor
    Jul 2016

    Building Ethical Global Health Care Systems

    Abraar Karan, MD
    Introduction to the July 2016 issue on ethics of international health systems development.
    AMA J Ethics. 2016;18(7):661-664. doi: 10.1001/journalofethics.2016.18.7.fred1-1607.
  • Case and Commentary
    Jul 2016

    Changing Donor Funding and the Challenges of Integrated HIV Treatment

    Nicoli Nattrass, DPhil, MSc, MA, Rebecca Hodes, DPhil, and Lucie Cluver, DPhil
    After years of funding disease-specific treatment, donation trends have shifted to support broader health systems infrastructure development. A remaining challenge is how to sustain antiretroviral therapy (ART) for patients in resource-poor regions.
    AMA J Ethics. 2016;18(7):681-690. doi: 10.1001/journalofethics.2016.18.7.ecas3-1607.
  • Case and Commentary
    Jul 2016

    Blending Western Biomedicine with Local Healing Practices

    Anita Chary, MA and Carolyn Sargent, PhD
    Allopathic clinicians should treat local health practitioners as equal partners in cross-cultural clinical practice and express respect for traditional therapies.
    AMA J Ethics. 2016;18(7):691-697. doi: 10.1001/journalofethics.2016.18.7.ecas4-1607.
  • Medical Education
    Jul 2016

    Medical Education and Global Health Equity

    Peter Drobac, MD, MPH and Michelle Morse, MD, MPH
    The University of Global Health Equity aims to provide the tools and technology to develop the skills students need to improve fragile health systems.
    AMA J Ethics. 2016;18(7):702-709. doi: 10.1001/journalofethics.2016.18.7.medu1-1607.
  • Medical Education
    Jul 2016

    Medical Education Capacity-Building Partnerships for Health Care Systems Development

    Tracy L. Rabin, MD, SM, Harriet Mayanja-Kizza, MBChB, MMed, MSc, and Asghar Rastegar, MD
    Equity-focused education partnerships between institutions in resource-limited and resource-abundant countries can develop the health care workforce.
    AMA J Ethics. 2016;18(7):710-717. doi: 10.1001/journalofethics.2016.18.7.medu2-1607.
  • Health Law
    Jul 2016

    Pursuing Justice in Haiti’s Cholera Epidemic

    Richard Weinmeyer, JD, MA, MPhil
    The United Nations’ failure to take responsibility for causing the Haitian cholera epidemic has led to a lawsuit, Delama Georges v United Nations.
    AMA J Ethics. 2016;18(7):178-726. doi: 10.1001/journalofethics.2016.18.7.hlaw1-1607.
  • Medicine and Society
    Jul 2016

    Why US Health Care Should Think Globally

    Samuel G. Ruchman, Prabhjot Singh, MD, PhD, and Anna Stapleton
    What can American health systems developers learn from abroad? Leading programs draw on global lessons to build sustainable and effective care in the US.
    AMA J Ethics. 2016;18(7):736-742. doi: 10.1001/journalofethics.2016.18.7.msoc1-1607.
  • History of Medicine
    Jul 2016

    Medicine, Empires, and Ethics in Colonial Africa

    Helen Tilley, PhD
    Today’s international health interventions—like colonial treatment campaigns—can be well-intentioned and still oppress and harm people they try to serve. Grasp of imperial medical history is critical for helping global health professionals understand the contexts in which they practice.
    AMA J Ethics. 2016;18(7):743-753. doi: 10.1001/journalofethics.2016.18.7.mhst1-1607.