the formulation of global health policy is political; and all institutions operating in the global health landscape are political. this is because policies and institutions inevitably represent certain values, reflect particular ideologies, and preferentially serve some interests over others. this may be expressed explicitly and consciously; or implicitly and unconsciously. but it’s important t...

factors influencing cross-national diffusion of mental health policy are important to understand but complex to research. this commentary discusses shen’s research study on cross-national diffusion of mental health policy; examines the extent to which the three questions researched by shen (whether countries are more likely to have a mental health policy (a) the earlier a country becomes a memb...

BACKGROUND Vulnerable populations such as people with refugee backgrounds are at increased risk of poor oral health. Given that maternal characteristics play a significant role in the development of dental caries in children, antenatal care offers an opportunity to both provide information to women about the importance of maternal oral health and accessing dental care. Although pregnant women a...

decentralisation continues to re-appear in health system reform across the world. evaluation of these reforms reveals how research on decentralisation continues to evolve. in this paper, we examine the theoretical foundations and empirical references which underpin current approaches to studying decentralisation in health systems.

New Zealand's School Dental Service (SDS) was founded in 1921, partly as a response to the "appalling" state of children's teeth, but also at a time when social policy became centered on children's health and welfare. Referring to the Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) conceptual framework, this review reflects upon how SDS policy evolved in response to contemporary constraints,...

Although health care is a right of citizenship, severe inequities in oral health and access to care persist. This paper provides information on the financing, organization and delivery of oral health services in Canada. It concludes that dental care has largely fallen out of consideration as health care. The increasing costs of dental insurance and disparities in oral health and access to care ...

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concerns regarding the trans-pacific partnership (tpp) have raised awareness about the negative public health impacts of trade and investment agreements. in the past decade, we have learned much about the implications of trade agreements for public health: reduced equity in access to health services; increased flows of unhealthy commodities; limits on access to medicines; and constrained policy...

members of the 67th world health assembly in 2014 were presented with a framework document to guide world health organization (who) engagement with non-state actors, a key part of who reform kick-started in 2011. according to this document, non-state actors include four distinct constituencies: i) nongovernmental organizations (ngos), ii) private sector entities; iii) philanthropic foundations;...