Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Report on Healthcare Systems

This report provides an overview of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), detailing its mission to promote health equity and combat diseases across the Americas. The report outlines PAHO's vision, values, and key responsibilities, highlighting its collaborative efforts with member states and other organizations. It includes a SWOT analysis, identifying PAHO's strengths, such as well-trained staff and emergency support capabilities, alongside weaknesses like slow response times and resource limitations. The report also discusses the future implications of PAHO's work, emphasizing the need for increased collaboration to achieve its goals, such as ending tuberculosis by 2030. Furthermore, the report touches upon the importance of a healthy working environment within healthcare settings, referencing the impact of workplace conditions on employee well-being.

Running head: HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS AND POLICY 1
Pan American Health Organization
Name
Institutional Affiliation

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Healthcare Systems and Policy
Introduction
Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is an American based organization that
works with various countries throughout the region by cooperating with the member countries in
eradicating or rather fighting communicable and non-communicable disease, their causes, so as
to establish strong health system and responding to disaster and emergencies. PAHO has two
specialties first involves the inter-American system and also specialized health agency in the US
that serves as regional office of World Health Organization (PAHO, 2017). This organization
has fifty two member countries and it is dedicated promoting and supporting everyone’s right to
good health and in ensuring that everyone gets quality health services required irrespective of
their financial situations. This organization works together with other corporations and
institutions such as government agencies, international agencies, civil societies, community
groups among others to ensure that it achieves its goals of people living longer, healthier and
with good health.
Organization's;
Mission- "To lead strategic collaborative efforts among member states and other partners to
promote equality in health, to combat diseases and improve the quality of, and lengthen the lives
American people."
Vision- "To be the main catalyst for making sure that all the American citizens enjoy optimal
health and contribute to wellbeing of their families and communities"
Values- The organizations vision and mission are guided by the values which include; "equity,
excellence, solidarity, respect and integrity."

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The organization’s responsibilities and duties are in line with their goals, mission, and
their values guide them in achieving the ultimate goals of the organization. The organization’s
values start within the organization and this is stated in the PAHO’s policy on the prevention and
resolution of harassment in the work place. However, all activities within PAHO are guided by
vision, mission and values to achieve the desired goals. There are a number of achievements
witnessed by PAHO through collaboration by its member countries, for example during the Zika
virus outbreak PAHO collaborated with the affected countries by providing critical support in
laboratory and clinical departments right from diagnosis of cases, management and vector
control apart from that PAHO also collaborated with partners to give out evidence based, the
ethical guidelines and advice to all members states (PAHO, 2017). According to the findings it is
evident that the organization is carrying out its daily activities governed by the principles and
dedicated to providing quality health services to all people and collaborating with member states
to ensure that people leave healthy and better lives. It is important for the mission, vision and
values of PAHO to be clearly seen because through this people are able to trust the organization
based on the practices including services and support for humanity (PAHO, 2017).

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Swot Analysis
Streangths of PAHO
 Staffs are well trained and have accountancy skills which help them in accountancy and
transparency skills which are of benefit to the organization
 The managerial system at PAHO has trained personnel in their areas of expertise hence
great management.
 Recognized for provision of emergency support and assistance to all member countries
that are facing an outbreak or crisis.
 The organization makes the maximum use of its facilities to ensure its goals and
objectives are achieved
Weaknesses
 Due to the nature of the organization it takes time to respond to urgent issues like
procurement during emergency situations

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 A proactive approach should be adopted to help protect the diminishing human resource
within the ministry
 Diversity in various communities sometimes make it difficult to understand the needs of
a specific community
 Lack of adequate resources to sustain all the communities that are in need of health care
at the same time.
Threats
 Perception of the public that public health provides second-class health care
 Legislations that doesn’t support some community based
 Migrant population
 Increased urbanization hence increased population density which threatens public health
Opportunities
 The young community can be trained to assist in emergency cases within their locations
 The organization has an opportunity to partner with local and regional organizations
 National health plans to introduce stress management response team
Future implications of PAHO
PAHO has a relatively great future based on their current plans for example to end
tuberculosis by 2030 which has been supported by seventy five ministers, but in order to achieve
their vision, increased collaboration and partnership both at local and international level is vital.
With various accomplishments that have already been experienced, PAHO is on the right path to
achieving its organizational goals and objectives (PAHO, 2017). Moreover, the organization has
the support of the government and other non-governmental organization that have come together

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to help it achieve its vision of being the main catalyst for making sure that all the American
citizens enjoy optimal health and contribute to wellbeing of their families and communities
Healthy working environment
According to the US National Library of Medicine, a public report published in 2011
about healthy workplaces states that the nature of the work place can negatively or positively
affect the employees’ physical and mental health. Some of the things that create unhealthy work
environments include workload, and poor safety measures among others (Rechel, EHPN, EOHS
and Policies & WHO, 2009). These issues can be addressed by establishing key environmental
protection measures that governs the human resources in health facilities.

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References
Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) (2017). About Pan American Health Organization
(PAHO). Pan American Health Organization. Retrieved from
http://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=91%3Aabout
-paho&lang=en
Rechel, B., European Health Property Network., European Observatory on Health Systems and
Policies., & World Health Organization. (2009). Investing in hospitals of the future.
Copenhagen: World Health Organization on behalf of the European Observatory on
Health Systems and Policies.