Into the world and back
Some of you may have missed the launch of the book Into the World last December. But it must have been much more difficult not to have noticed how the media and others have picked up on the underlying message of the book and the campaign. NVTG and the AIGT training institute are calling on the Dutch government for structural financial support to the training programme for global health doctors. As support for their appeal grows, not only from within the ranks of the NVTG but...
Into the world and back
Some of you may have missed the launch of the book Into the World last December. But it must have been much more difficult not to have noticed how the media and others have picked up on the underlying message of the book and the campaign. NVTG and the AIGT training institute are calling on the Dutch government for structural financial support to the training programme for global health doctors. As support for their appeal grows, not only from within the ranks of the NVTG but also from a wider circle, the call is gaining in strength. The editorial board of MTb decided to contribute to the debate by providing some background on the ongoing campaign. We invited Heleen Koudijs to be our guest editor and present us with this background information. She selected interviews with global health doctors and endorsements from various stakeholders in the Netherlands for MTb. Support from overseas is also included in this edition, with the contribution of Richard Smith – former editor of BMJ – who outlines the four and perhaps even five wins that are at stake with the future of the AIGT training programme. Global health is fashionable noted Jeffrey Koplan as early as 2009.[1] He was right and he still is; over the past decade, global health has conquered a solid place on many agendas. The Dutch Ministry of Health (VWS in Dutch) is in the process of formulating a global health strategy, thereby following the example of Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom, among others. Two years ago, the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO), developed a global health research agenda as part of the Dutch Science Agenda for inclusive global development. Public and private parties are recognising the global aspects of health, emphasizing the need to define shared opportunities and threats in cross-border health, and developing a joint response. The Into the World campaign places the spotlight on the role of medical doctors in global health. Rightly so, given the historical ties of NVTG with the training programme and the fact that many of its members are medical doctors. However, one of the beauties of the concept of global health is its comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to health. “Good health” does not depend on good access to medical care only but is a consequence of other factors, recapped in the discussion on the crucial role of social determinants of human development and health. Obviously, addressing these determinants is not in the hands of medical doctors only. Koplan formulates this as follows: ‘It [Global Health] has driven the establishment or restructuring of several academic programmes, is supported by governments as a crucial component of foreign policy, and has become a major philanthropic target.’ The Netherlands has a lot to offer in the field of global health, be it through health service provision, research, product development, teaching, advocacy, trade, or foreign policy. It has been fun for us to put together this edition of MTb. We hope you will enjoy reading it.
Esther Jurgens
Leon Bijlmakers