Heart disease, cancer, asthma – they all impact people worldwide. Yet, when thinking about global health, we often think of communicable diseases – AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. Paul Farmer, MD, PhD, co-founder of Partners in Health talks more about reframing this ‘vicious debate‘ in global health between infectious and non-infectious diseases.
While most financial global resources are secured for communicable diseases, according to 2004 World Health Organization data, chronic, non-communicable diseases account for up to 25% of the global burden of disease. Dr. Farmer suggests utilizing a community-based model of care for chronic diseases around the world and changing global health priorities and policies impacting funding.
