Why should medical students be concerned about global governance?

Abstract

This article introduces the work of the Lancet-University of Oslo Commission on Global
Governance for Health and its parallel Youth Commission, which published their reports in
2014. Because the role of socioeconomic conditions in the production of health outcomes and health inequities has already long been recognized, the Commission further examined the “political determinants of health,” particularly the systemic dysfunctions of global governance, especially in areas that are deemed as “non-health” such as trade, finance, agriculture, migration, and security. To support the Commission’s thesis, the Youth Commission then proposed the adoption of the “capability approach” as a guiding framework of global governance for health. First introduced by Amartya Sen, this approach emphasizes on the need for equality in the space of capabilities or freedoms needed to achieve various things that people value. Nevertheless, while the road toward better global governance remains elusive, the next generation of leaders, including medical students, can already be prepared to tackle these seemingly insurmountable challenges. Various ways by which medical students can learn and understand global governance and global health include incorporation into the medical curriculum, internships, and involvement in student organizations with global health orientation. Such modalities are hoped to contribute towards the full reorientation of the health professions to consider, address, and reach out to other sectors that govern the broader, underlying social determinants of health.