Valerie Oji, Salome Bwayo Weaver, David Falade and Babajide Fagbemi
The transition from 20th to 21st century involved increasing global perspective to health and disease. Africa has reportedly accounted for 13% of the world’s population, 24% of the world’s disease and yet 3% of the world’s healthcare workforce; an imbalance creating vulnerability ranging from health disparities to terrorism. The public health system in Sub-Saharan Africa has been a significant focus of global health intervention, especially in tackling HIV/ AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The United States’ role has also increased for both humanitarian and security-related strategic interests. The purpose was primarily to explore and identify examples of key pharmaceutical-related public health problems in Africa, United States (U.S.) pharmacist and pharmacy school involvement in Africa; and secondly, to introduce and evaluate student interest in global health pharmaceutical issues, activities and potential careers. Access, affordability and safety of pharmaceuticals are among those important global health areas of interest; others are healthcare worker shortages, financial resource and allocation problems and challenges with indigenous health system leadership. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates indicate marked imbalances or insufficiency in global workforce distribution, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa to tackle such problems. An overview of the literature and collaborative partnerships between U.S. and African Colleges of Pharmacy, and the incorporation of global health policy into pharmacy curricula illustrate examples of higher education contributing to shaping future health professional roles and career interests for new and expanding service opportunities in the global health workforce.
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