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Vom Konflikt im Südsudan ist auch das Gesundheitsprogramm des Schweizerischen Roten Kreuzes in den Bundesstaaten Unity und Upper Nile betroffen. Der Delegierte musste evakuiert werden, die lokalen Mitarbeitenden führen den Betrieb weiter.

• www.redcross.ch

Im Dezember 2011 hat das Netzwerk MMS ein Bulletin zur Gesundheitszusammenarbeit in fragilgen Staaten veröffentlicht.

• bit.ly

Die medizinische Versorgung in der Zentralafrikanischen Republik ist aufgrund der andauernden Gewalt nicht mehr gewährleistet. FAIRMED baut ihre Nothilfemassnahmen aus und sichert für 20 000 Menschen in Zentralafrika den Zugang zur medizinischen Grundversorgung. In den Hauptstadt-Quartieren Bimbo und Begoua werden Medikamente und Ausrüstung für 10 000 Bewohner bereit gestellt. Daneben werden ambulante Transporte ins Spital Bimbo organisiert und die dortige Infrastruktur verbessert. Weiterhin wird die Grundversorgung für weitere 10 000 Menschen in der Präfektur Lobaye gewährleistet.

• goo.gl

Anfang November sind kirchliche Einrichtungen und Mitglieder der nigerianischen «Kirche der Geschwister» in den Orten Ngoshe und Gavva im Norden Nigerias zu Zielscheiben brutaler Angriffe geworden. Diese Nachricht wurde jetzt von Augenzeugen vor Ort bestätigt. Die Evangelische Mission in Solidarität (EMS) in Stuttgart und mission 21 in Basel arbeiten beide mit der nigerianischen «Kirche der Geschwister» zusammen. Sie sind bestürzt über die Angriffe und rufen zum Gebet auf.

• bit.ly

Trotz der eskalierenden Gewalt in der Zentralafrikanischen Republik hat das Schweizer Hilfswerk FAIRMED beschlossen, sein laufendes Hilfsprojekt fortzuführen. Das Programm sichert medizinische Unterstützung für über 300 000 Menschen in der Region Lobaye. Für das Jahr 2014 wurde ein Projektbeitrag von 500 000 Franken gesprochen.

• bit.ly

"With the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) expiring in 2015, the world awaits a new, ambitious framework for improving lives. This framework must pass the vital test of reducing inequalities, especially gender-related ones, as a critical step towards the improvement of women's health. Measurably improving women's health throughout the life course will contribute to other post-2015 goals. Conversely, women's social empowerment through education, participation in the labor market, and political representation will improve health. For this virtuous cycle to occur, the next iteration of the development goals has to embrace women's health and wellbeing as a key priority, particularly since indicators for women's health in the current MDGs, including maternal mortality, are among those lagging farthest behind."

• www.plosmedicine.org

"Unfortunately, abuses of patients are not uncommon. At the same time, health care providers may also face rights violations themselves, such as unsafe working conditions or government sanctions for providing evidence-based care. This issue of Health and Human Rights has a themed section on these concerns. The articles explore various facets of “human rights in patient care,” or the application of human rights principles to the context of patient care."

• www.hhrjournal.org

"WHO released new treatment guidelines for the almost 20 million children under-five worldwide who have severe acute malnutrition. Severe acute malnutrition is when children suffer severe wasting that may or may not be accompanied by swelling of the body from fluid retention. (...) The updated WHO guidelines recommend that children with severe acute malnutrition who do not have health complications that require hospitalization, receive special, high-energy food and antibiotics to treat infection. This allows them to recover at home with their families. They also give guidance on how to treat them for HIV and, if necessary make recommendations on how to treat severely malnourished infants under six months."

• bit.ly

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, President Barack Obama, French officials and African first ladies have all thrown their weight behind a robust Global Fund replenishment this week, as health advocates and policymakers are gathered in Washington, D.C., to solicit funding commitments for the international initiative to combat AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. Health, economic and political dynamics are changing in countries and regions where the Global Fund has delivered resources to health ministries and NGOs.Now, as Global Fund advocates make the rounds to champion their achievements and lock down billions for the fourth replenishment, those changes in the global health landscape have raised questions about the fund’s future and how to accelerate progress toward the ultimate elimination of these three killer epidemics.Devex is tuned into the discussions in D.C. this week — and here are the 10 buzz topics to watch out for as The Global Fund cashes in on its network of global support."

• www.devex.com

"The complexity of today’s global health challenges requires harnessing the skills and energies of many sectors and disciplines in order to develop innovative and effective solutions. Never has it been so urgent to further align interests and efforts in order to maintain gains and tackle the global health and development challenges ahead. As the world moves towards the edges of its planetary boundaries, achieving sustainable development and improving global health require actions on a much broader and systemic front. In this context health is a pre-condition and an outcome of all three dimensions of sustainable development – the economic, social, and environmental. It’s time for health to incorporate the big picture of our contemporary challenges, therefore the overarching topic for the 2014 edition of the Geneva Health Forum will be ‘Integration’."

• ghf.globalhealthforum.net

"Intellectual property issues have come to play an increasingly important role in discussions of national and global health problems. Yet, individuals whose primary expertise is health or diplomacy may find these discussions inaccessible because they lack a sufficient understanding of basic intellectual property concepts and their relationship to global public health. The purpose of this course is to help fill this gap by exploring current debates about health-related aspects of intellectual property from a global public health perspective. A key goal of the course will be to develop concrete tools for implementing the World Health Organization’s Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health, Innovation, and Intellectual Property."

• graduateinstitute.ch

"Maintaining and improving the health situation of vulnerable populations lies at the heart of most aid projects, especially during a humanitarian emergency. Humanitarian professionals must be equipped with sufficient basic knowledge to be able to identify and monitor health problems during crises, and to develop effective and appropriate intervention strategies in complex situations. For humanitarian workers called on to manage health projects this course delivers the key knowledge and skills needed to create effective health interventions."

• www.cerahgeneve.ch

This 1-week course provides up-to-date information on tropical diseases and their medical treatment. It is mainly designed for participants from industrialised countries, who need to provide reliable information and advice for travellers, and to assess travel-related problems that occur in patients who have returned from tropical countries. The course is organised in collaboration with other Swiss and German institutes, under the patronage of the International Society of Travel Medicine, the WHO, and the Swiss Society for Tropical Medicine.

• bit.ly

This intense three weeks course takes place once a year, in November in Ifakara,Tanzania or Vientiane, Laos. The course aims at introducing the basic principles of strategic programme and project management. It also focuses on practical aspects of the planning and implementation process, using the techniques of a simulation exercise and computer based support.

• bit.ly

This 3 months full time course aims at introducing participants to the fundamentals of international health with a range of skills and knowledge needed to work as a member of a district management team. The participatory course is designed for people who already have a first qualification in a health-related profession, and at least two years professional experience.

• www.swisstph.ch

This year, participants attending our symposium in Basel on 29th November 2013 came together to address a critical question: what does it take to eliminate a disease? The topic was inspired by the foundation's longstanding commitment to the global fight against leprosy. To make further progress toward curbing the incidence of leprosy the Novartis Foundation launched a new strategy. (pdf)

• bit.ly

In der Zeitschrift Synapse der Ärztgesellschaften des Kantons Basel und Baselland reflektiert das Netzwerk Medicus Mundi Schweiz die Veränderungen der Gesundheitszusammenarbeit in einer globalisierten Welt. (pdf)

• bit.ly

Die schweizerische Fachplattform aidsfocus.ch begrüsst den Entscheid des Bundesrats, den Beitrag der Schweiz zum Global Fund zur Bekämpfung von Aids, Tuberkulose und Malaria von 10 Millionen Franken im Jahr 2013 auf 20 Millionen jährlich zu verdoppeln. Damit setzt sie ein Zeichen für ihren politischen Willen und ihr Engagement, einen relevanten Beitrag zu leisten, damit alle Menschen weltweit ein möglichst gesundes Leben führen können. (pdf)

• bit.ly