6 degrees to Kevin Bacon

Poverty, health and development have huge influences on political, social and economic issues on a global scale. In our modern world, technology enables countries thousands of miles apart to connect, share ideas, form and sustain relationships and, of course, do business. I saw a story on NBC news one night about companies in India that provide receptionist services to people overseas. An average joe, like you and I, and maybe Dr. Stevens, can hire a virtual assistant for a mere $30 a month. We would be able to call this assistant a negotiated number of times a week to research the best options for dinner for a first date or research directions to a few destinations on a travel itinerary - thus, enabling us make better use our time.

Now, you might be wondering, does this guy have a point coming up? Yes, actually, I think I do...

The point I am trying to make is that it is almost impossible for one country to be completely isolated from another. There will always be some sort of collaboration, ideally, a mutually beneficial one, that connects at least two countries together. Therefore, I believe that political, social and economic policies resulting from the particular country's poverty, health and development not only impacts that particular country, but all other countries that have connections with that country. And if we can recall how social networks function, or the whole 6 degrees to Kevin Bacon piece, we can see that if Country A is severely limited by poverty and limited productivity, countries that are directly involved with Country A would also take a hit and continue the domino effect down the line. Thus, I believe that individual countries should start including social determinants of health into their health policies, because, as Ara said, a country's economic development is intertwined with the health of its population.

For those who read through to this point on my blog, I would like to reward your commitment and zeal with a funny video clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_t44siFyb4