Healthcare management in a global context

What is global healthcare management?

Global healthcare management is concerned with the administration, coordination, and oversight of healthcare on an international scale – from systems to services to resources. While it shares similarities with public health, global health is based on a broader, multidisciplinary approach to tackling emerging health challenges. It considers the various factors – social, economic, cultural, and environmental – that underlie health disparities and inequities.

According to the Duke Global Health Institute, global heath focuses on:

• issues that directly or indirectly impact health and can transcend national boundaries
• the development and implementation of solutions that often require global cooperation
• prevention in populations and clinical care of individuals
• health equity among nations and for all people.

By means of education, research, and collaborative intervention, it aims to tackle a number of key challenges. These include quality of care, access to healthcare services, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and infectious diseases, cost-effectiveness, equitable outcomes, regulatory compliance, and technological integration of healthcare delivery.

Why is having a global health perspective important?

Global health is an integral part of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Not only is it directly addressed in SDG 3: ‘Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages’, but it’s a golden thread that runs through the majority of the other goals.

As the World Health Organization (WHO), the leading global health organisation, sets out in its constitution, global health is critical because:

• enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being
• the health of all peoples is fundamental to the attainment of peace and security
• promotion and protection of health is of value to all
• unequal development in different countries in the promotion of health and control of diseases, especially communicable disease, is a common danger
• healthy development of children is of basic importance
• informed opinion and active cooperate on the part of the public improves the health of all people
• governments have a responsibility for the health of their peoples which can be fulfilled only by the provision of adequate health and social measures.

It’s about improving real-world health outcomes, and overall quality of life, for vulnerable communities and populations around the world. However, ensuring that all populations around the world have more equitable health outcomes is no easy task – quite the opposite. And that’s why it’s so critical. Adopting a global health perspective enables healthcare organisations, their leaders, and other stakeholders to innovate and transform tomorrow’s health service provision and health initiatives, at local, national and international levels.

What are the challenges of managing healthcare systems in a global context?

Global health challenges are complex, multifaceted, and require dedicated collaboration, commitment and funding – by government, policymakers,and  health service leaders and experts at all levels. While universal, these challenges disproportionately affect developing countries and their populations.

Here are examples of some of the most critical challenges facing global healthcare management:

• Chronic underfunding continues to plague the health sector. Inadequate budget allocation and health financing means health services and providers are unable to fully meet planned agendas. Thorough audits of how and where funding is spent, and increased budget and healthcare resources, is critical.
• Telemedicine implementation greatly varies between countries and regions, and remains a barrier to many patients who could benefit from e-consultations, remote care, and e-technologies such as wearable sensors. Increasing access and developing regulations could support further implementation of telemedicine.
• Lack of human resources has created huge skills gaps in healthcare settings around the world. Recommended healthcare professional-patient ratios go unmet, impacting capacity, patient experience, and safety. Additional recruitment, incentivisation, reallocation of human resources, and ‘task shifting’ will all help to ease the burden.
• Lack of healthcare infrastructure is affected by physical, financial and political factors – with the reasons varying from country to country. Investments must be made in additional health infrastructure, including affordable equipment and medicine.

Other challenges include the slow adoption of information technology, unstable health contexts, unaddressed disease burden, and substandard pharmaceutical products.

Want to pursue a career in global health management?

If you’re passionate about improving health and social care – at local, national, and international levels – a career in global health might be the perfect fit for you.

And there are plenty of routes to choose from, including health administration and organisational management, health policy, health promotion and outreach, health consultancy, and much more. Healthcare settings span the public, private and third-sectors, meaning you’ll have the freedom to work in areas that most interest you. To succeed, you’ll require a solid understanding of global health issues, processes, and systems, as well as valuable critical thinking, communication, organisation, interpersonal, technical, teamwork, and leadership skills.

So, where do you start? Gaining a place on a relevant undergraduate or postgraduate degree is a great first step; Global Health or Healthcare Management MSc or BSc programmes can be a good entry point, with many offering hands-on, industry-based learning opportunities. These programmes can provide you with a solid grounding in the main issues and challenges facing health leaders, how to use health economics to inform policy and planning, practical leadership skills, and an awareness of evidence-based healthcare practices. If you’re further along in your career – whether in a business, management, or healthcare-related role – choosing an MBA with a healthcare specialism can help you to advance your professional development or adjust your focus and area of interest. The NHS provides information that offers insights into various areas of leadership and management, that could help you clarify your own career goals.

Depending on your needs and individual circumstances, narrow your search by full-time/part-time/flexible study options, the university, business school or training provider’s ranking/accreditation, entry requirements (that often include both academic and work experience criteria and competencies), start dates, tuition fees, and so on.

Ready to join the global healthcare leaders of tomorrow?

Grow your leadership and management talents – ready to pursue rewarding careers across the social and healthcare sector – with St Mary’s University’s 100%-online MBA with Healthcare Management programme. You’ll gain a solid understanding of management and leadership in relation to health services administration, addressing real-world health problems, developing innovative solutions to systemic issues, and engaging in decision making related to improving quality of life for global populations.

Develop and extend your healthcare practice in an inclusive, 100%-online, self-guided learning environment. You’ll explore topics such as quality management, healthcare quality analytics, and healthcare leadership and administration as part of your specialist healthcare focus, relying on content such as case studies, simulations, and independent research projects. You’ll also examine core MBA modules such as strategic management, leadership and management theories, finance and economics, marketing, organisational behaviour and leadership, operations, and more.