Global Minimum Essential Requirement in Medical Education
Population Health and Health Systems

Medical graduates should understand their role in protecting and promoting the health of a whole population and be able to take appropriate action. They should understand the principles of health systems organization and their economic and legislative foundations. They should also have a basic understanding of the efficient and effective management of the health care system. The graduates should be able to demonstrate:

• knowledge of important life-style, genetic, demographic, environmental, social, economic, psychological, and cultural determinants of health and illness of a population as a whole;
• knowledge of their role and ability to take appropriate action in disease, injury and accident prevention and protecting, maintaining and promoting the health of individuals, families and community;
• knowledge of international health status, of global trends in morbidity and mortality of chronic diseases of social significance, the impact of migration, trade, and environmental factors on health and the role of international health organizations;
• acceptance of the roles and responsibilities of other health and health related personnel in providing health care to individuals, populations and communities;
• an understanding of the need for collective responsibility for health promoting interventions which requires partnerships with the population served, and a multidisciplinary approach including the health care professions as well as intersectoral collaboration;
• an understanding of the basics of health systems including policies, organization, financing, cost-containment measures of rising health care costs, and principles of effective management of health care delivery;
• an understanding of the mechanisms that determine equity in access to health care, effectiveness, and quality of care;
• use of national, regional and local surveillance data as well as demography and epidemiology in health decisions;
• a willingness to accept leadership when needed and as appropriate in health issues.