Huffington Post: Health Is A Global Public Good
Linda P. Fried, dean and DeLamar professor of public health at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health

“…It’s time for the world community to support health as a global public good, for we will all bear the consequences of inaction. In the case of infectious disease, we must prevent outbreaks through stronger health and disease-prevention systems around the world. In the case of noncommunicable diseases, we must prevent unnecessary suffering and economic loss that exacerbates poverty and increases instability, and invest in the approach with the highest return: prevention. … We must support quality health care, effective treatment, and population-wide disease prevention. … Seeing health as a global public good is vital. Not only does it underscore our shared future but it shifts the focus to prevention. … Health is key to the aspirations of individuals, nations, and regions of the world. If we approach it from a global standpoint, we have a far greater chance of success. The U.N. World Health Assembly reflects a shared global aspiration. It’s time to strengthen that commitment and fund it sufficiently, so that preventable deaths and years lived on ill health — no matter where they occur — become a thing of the past” (6/6).