CSW

Responsibility of Academia for Combating Poverty and Social Pathology – Adapting Agenda 2030 in Social Work and Health  

Important intervention against malnutrition/diseases is prevention of social pathology. Apart from the UN (Agenda 2030); UN-related activities (UN AIDS, UN DP); World Food Program (WFP); Food International Organisation (PAO); World Bank; Academia also plays an important role in decreasing poverty and preventing economic migration.

Agenda 2030 which followed Millennium Development Goals gives responsibility for malnutrition and communicable disease related deaths between developing countries and developed countries. Importantly, intervention against malnutrition/diseases is prevention of social pathology. Apart of the UN (Agenda 2030); UN-related activities (UN AIDS, UN DP); World Food Program (WFP); Food International Organisation (PAO); World Bank; Academia also plays an important role to decrease poverty and prevent economic migration. The aim of this editorial is to identify examples of Academia in various continents investments to education, health and social services as information which is functioning in real time/life/reality.

Examples of Social Work and Health Intervention in Various Academia Settings. From “real life/real time” social work and health intervention examples Table 1 shows examples from 10 countries from four continents. Those are only examples to facilitate other universities to develop extramural Programs in developing countries. However, the amount of contributions generated by universities in the EU, SAE, USA, Canada represent only 5-10% in comparison to World Bank and Philanthropic Foundations (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, etc.). This low proportion should be increased mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa to prevent the inflow of large numbers of African refugees, at least partially; to create better educational possibilities (e.g. for free for the best students, or accessible solutions for majority). Education and health care/social work investments have been decreasing investments to manage social pathology (police, prison, etc.) in most EU countries. Importantly, even the slight support of education and health in SSA led to a decrease in illegal migration to the EU in 2017 in comparison to 2010 – 2015.

As seen from above mentioned examples, East European universities following examples from the USA and the EU, active at least 50 years, may be effectively implemented to joint strategy; decrease the threatening Brain Drain to the EU; increase the retention of good students and health care workers (HCW) in house to work for their own country. In addition, former East Europe (EE) has to pay back the investment, given by the EU to their university system from 1990 – 2019.

Daniel J. West, Jr.

University of Scranton

Department of Health Administration and Human Resources, USA

Andrea Shahum

                                  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, USA