A Critical Analysis of UK International Health Partnerships: The Discourse of Mental Health

Abstract

Background \nThe work of International Health Partnerships (IHPs) is a way of working with Low- and Middle-Income Countries to address issues of Global Health and more recently Global Mental Health. They have come about through various political constructs such as over the Millennium Development Goals. The researcher provides and overview for the political context before using a scoping review to demonstrate the gaps in existing literature. These gaps informed the construction of this research which aimed to explore how the work of IHPs is communicated and how these forms of communication related to the wider debate surrounding the ethics and utility of IHPs. \nMethod \nThe researcher carried out a Critical Discourse Analysis on project reports that documented the progress of IHPs addressing mental health concerns. The analysis critically explored the structural and discursive features of these documents. \nResults \nThe results obtained highlighted issues with the construction of the documents used to capture development, as well as concerns about the rhetorical devices and discourses used in the communication of IHP work which constituted a form of testimonial injustice. \nConclusion \nIn order to progress to an equitable form of health partnership changes need to be made at all levels to take make the rhetoric around the good of global health more than hollow words.