Nach den MDGs: Universal Health Coverage als Schlüssel?

"In June 2004, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) led by WHO, Rotary International, U.S. Centres for Disease Control and UNICEF warned that the polio virus was spreading at an alarming rate across West and Central Africa. In May 2004, it was confirmed that a child was paralysed by polio in Darfur. This was a complex emergency; a simmering conflict, combined with hunger, malnutrition, lack of access to clean water, sanitation, health and other basic services made survival itself a challenge. (...) The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) had served as a bridge, an entry point and a disease control strategy for reaching the unreached and most vulnerable. The lesson learned is that it is possible to immunise children even in complex emergencies and conflict settings," writes Siddharth Chatterjee, International Federtion of Red Cross and Red Crescent Associations on IPS.

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"Implementation of innovative strategies to improve coverage of evidence-based interventions, especially in the most marginalised populations, is a key focus of policy makers and planners aiming to improve child survival, health, and nutrition. We present a three-step approach to improvement of the eff ective coverage of essential interventions. (...) Although knowledge gaps exist, several strategies show promise for improving coverage of effective interventions - and, in some cases, health outcomes in children - including expanded roles for lay health workers, task shifting, reduction of financial barriers, increases in human-resource availability and geographical access, and use of the private sector. Policy makers and planners should be informed of this evidence as they choose strategies in which to invest their scarce resources," write Mickey Chopas and colleagues in The Lancet.

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Wir laden ein zu einem Tag voller Erlebnisse und Begegnungen. Den Auftakt macht ein Konzert des Chors kreisch drei, weiter geht es mit einem Parcours durch Orte des solidarischen Handelns in Zürich, am Abend folgt eine Podiumsdiskussion und schliesslich ein Fest mit Fotoausstellung, Essen und Musik im Kulturmarkt. Eintritt frei, Kollekte.

• medicointernational.ch

The Global Fund and Civil Society will be in the focus of the thematic part of the Annual Meeting 2012. Christoph Benn, Director, Resource Mobilization and Donor Relation Division, The Global Fund, accepted the invitation to share with us recent information on the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and to join in the discussion on the roles, opportunities and challenges of Civil Society in shaping the Global Fund. This will be a great opportunity for all of us to get first hand expert information from a high level official in the Global Fund and former Civil Society activist and a chance to ask questions, discuss and share ideas and concerns. Input and discussion with Dr Christoph Benn, Director, Resource Mobilization and Donor Relation Division, Global Fund, and Linda Mafu, Head of Political and Civil Society Advocacy, Global Fund (former Executive Director of World AIDS Campaign, and Treatment Action Campaign).

• www.aidsfocus.ch

This intense course aims on enabling the students to plan health projects and programmes, based on systematic analyses of the respective setting. It focuses on practical aspects of the planning and implementation process, using the techniques of a simulation exercise and computer based support. At the end a full project proposal is produced.

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Weltweit haben über 16 Millionen Kinder einen oder beide Elternteile durch HIV und AIDS verloren. Die meisten davon leben in Afrika südlich der Sahara. Neben der Bedrohung durch chronische Krankheit und Tod sehen sich viele weitere Kinder mit Herausforderungen wie Armut und Konflikten konfrontiert. Die betroffenen Kinder leben in materieller Not, sind sozioökonomisch benachteiligt, gesellschaftlich stigmatisiert, emotional isoliert und psychisch traumatisiert. Dies hat in zahlreichen Ländern weit reichende soziale Folgen und stellt eine Gefährdung für die langfristige Entwicklung dar. Wir laufen Gefahr, eine ganze Generation von Kindern zu verlieren, die durch Armut, Konflikte, HIV und AIDS verwaist und gefährdet sind. Das diesjährige Symposium der Novartis Stiftung lädt angesehene Redner und Experten ein, um psychosoziale Ansätze vorzustellen und zu diskutieren. Sie können sich ab Anfang Oktober kostenlos auf der Website der Novartis Stiftung registrieren

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"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

Das Netzwerk Medicus Mundi Schweiz wird an seinem diesjährigen Symposium die Mutter-Kind-Gesundheit debattieren. Trotz vieler Fortschritte in den vergangenen Jahren, handelt es sich um den Bereich, in welchen die globale Gesundheit am wenigsten vorangekommen ist. Das Symposium ermöglicht es zusammen mit relevanten Akteurinnen und Akteure hier in der Schweiz das brennende Thema der Mutter-Kind-Gesundheit zu debattieren, Handlungsmöglichkeiten zu evaluieren und den politischen Prozess zu stärken.

• www.medicusmundi.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."

• www.swisstph.ch

"This note is by the World Health Organization (WHO) is intended as a discussion paper on the position of health in the post-2015 agenda. This paper focuses on content, identifying a series of issues that need to be addressed in framing future health goals and discussing ways in which Universal Health Coverage might be used as a way of bringing all programmatic interests under an inclusive umbrella and explaining its relationship to the achievement of gains in healthy life expectancy. The purpose of these papers is to provoke discussion rather than present definitive positions. They will be revised and updated as the process evolves."

• www.worldwewant2015.org

"Good health is essential to sustained economic and social development and poverty reduction. Access to needed health services is crucial for maintaining and improving health. At the same time, people need to be protected from being pushed into poverty because of the cost of health care. Universal health coverage is defined as ensuring that all people have access to needed promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative health services, of sufficient quality to be effective, while also ensuring that people do not suffer financial hardship when paying for these services. Universal health coverage has therefore become a major goal for health reform in many countries and a priority objective of WHO."

• www.who.int

The existing fragmentation of the global health advocacy community is worrying. To overcome this situation people of the health community should agree on an overall understanding on what they want. Universal Health Coverage could work as a common, holistic concept for integrating the global movement for health, writes Thomas Schwarz in the MMS Bulletin.

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"In the current Millennium Development framework (MDGs) three out of the eight goals directly refer to health conditions (reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases). But what will be the role of health in the development agenda beyond 2015? This thematic guide - as part of our global health policy and governance guide - leads you to key institutions and resources involved in the development of a post MDG (health) agenda. This collection is still "under construction"."

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The donors magazine of SolidarMed is now also available in English. In the current issue is about the dual epidemic of TB and HIV in Lesotho. You will also find in it an interview on the subject with Dr. Nilaus Labhardt. (pdf)

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Bei FAIRMED hat Thomas Gass am 1. Oktober 2012 die Nachfolge von Thomas von Stamm als Leiter des Bereichs Programme angetreten. FAIRMED unterstützt Gesundheitsprogramme in Indien, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Kamerun, Elfenbeinküste und Zentralafrikanische Republik. Kontakt:

• fairmed.ch

Bereits sind schätzungsweise 200‘000 syrische Flüchtlinge in Jordanien eingetroffen und deren Zahl steigt täglich an. Logistiker des Schweizerischen Roten Kreuzes (SRK) bereiten eine Verteilaktion von Hilfsgütern vor. Dabei unterstützen sie den Jordanischen Roten Halbmond.

• www.redcross.ch

"Health has never really known borders when it comes to infectious diseases. But at the same time, health care systems and health policy were for a long time largely national. Today, the markets for health goods and personnel have become largely globalized. This leads to the need for increased and improved international cooperation," said the Minister of Home Affairs, Federal Councillor Alain Berset in a speech he adressed to the "Public Health Foundation of India".

• www.news.admin.ch