Outcomes and Explanations for Global Health Initiative Funding Trends in Relation to Maternal Health and Child Malnourishment in India

Abstract

In the past several decades, globalization has given way to a fragmented network of institutions, initiatives, funds, and organizations to tackle disease on an international scale.  Most international funding for health aid is for service delivery for specific diseases, and usually diseases that pose as a great short term threat to certain countries.  There is a host of positive outcomes from these types of funding initiatives, as they can bring attention and services to disease prevention very quickly. However, the underlying cultural and social determinants of health in developing countries are often neglected by GHIs (Global Health Initiatives) and governments, and there is little investment in long-term changes.  

This paper aims to shed light on how and why international health funding trends can create debilitating outcomes for developing nations. First, the history surrounding the evolution of GHIs will be examined, along with a discussion of the extensive variables that are involved in global health research.  Thirdly, the financing trends will be looked at, along with an overview of the positive and negative effects of those trends.  And lastly, the explanations and theories surrounding the trends and effects of GHI funding will be discussed and examined further in the case for malnourishment in India.