Global Health Means Listening

At the turn of the century, international health development refashioned itself with a new name: Global Health. In these collected writings, Raymond Downing reflects on his thirty years working in health in Africa and considers the need to listen...mostly "to the people we have come to serve." Dr. Downing notes that global health is not focused on how people used to do things and tends to listen to statistics more than people. His insights are a crucial contribution to the unfolding conversation: "Global health has the opportunity to expand its knowledge base significantly by listening to ancient and indigenous wisdom. It can enhance known interventions by listening to the priorities of local people. Global health can help to ensure its relevance and effectiveness by continuing to monitor not just what happens to people, but especially what those people think about what's happening to them."