Humanitarian Action: A Necessity in the Academic Training of Health Professionals

Abstract

In an increasingly complex world, many low and middle-income countries (LMIC) lack access to proper water and sanitation, have scarce economic resources, and have weak public health systems. With limited funds to cover this gap and day-by-day worsening panorama of day, international agencies need to meet aid projects with ever-increasing quality and efficiency requirements. Aside from the increasing budget, this implies the creation of quality training programs in universities that do not exist specifically. The need for theoretical-practical training on aspects related to global health problems, migratory movements, geopolitical world history, human rights, security, health care for vulnerable populations, and how to create specific health action plans to improve related outcomes, etc., makes unavoidable to improve necessary conscience and skills on this problem from the first steps of health science students’ career to professional postgraduate teaching programs. The objective is to equip health workers with specific tools under a systematic wide approach to issues that, till now, have not been included in undergraduate studies of the health professions and constitute a complex framework of comprehensive knowledge.