MMS News

"At the World Health Summit 2024, the largest donor event for the WHO Investment Round so far was hosted, with pledges totaling one billion US dollars made or reaffirmed. “All for Health, Health for All: Signature Event for the WHO Investment Round” was attended by high-level speakers such as Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the Chair of the Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, and Director-General of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. During the WHS 2024, more than 50 partner events, side events, announcements, and launches took place, such as the launches of Global Health 2050: The Lancet Commission on Investing in Health 3.0 and of the Inauguration of the WomenX Collective Berlin Hub."

• World Health Summit 2024

"Universal health coverage means that “all people have access to the full range of quality health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship.” All United Nations member states have committed to make progress towards universal health coverage. Despite two high level meetings on the topic, a persistent gap remains between ambitious commitment and concrete actions. One challenge limiting progress is the fragmented and convoluted way by which advocates make the case for it. Advocates can reduce such confusion and simplify political arguments by focusing on four core elements for what implementing universal health coverage needs to look like in practice."

• British Medical Journal (bmj)

"This report highlights the substantial impact of commercial determinants on noncommunicable diseases (‎NCDs)‎ in the WHO European Region. Nearly 7500 deaths per day in the Region are attributed to commercial determinants, such as tobacco, alcohol, processed food, fossil fuels and occupational practices. These commercial products and practices contribute to 25% of all deaths in the Region. The report’s chapters systematically explore various facets of how commercial interests exacerbate NCDs and key strategies used by commercial actors to negatively influence NCD-related policies at the national and international level. The report also provides selected case studies from the Region to illustrate key strategies and outcomes of industry influence on health policies. The report then calls for urgent and coordinated action to address the commercial determinants of NCDs."

• World Health Organization

"In addition to pursuing the goal of universal health coverage, primary health care (PHC) helps to ensure health system resilience and health security. Community engagement plays a vital role in PHC leading to increased trust and safeguarding vulnerable groups against health threats. It is also critical for reducing inequalities, a key weakness when facing health threats. The comprehensive approach and expanded roles in multi-disciplinary teams within PHC strengthen the capacity to address community needs and enhance resilience. Greater integration of PHC and public health, as observed in some settings during the COVID-19 pandemic, can lead to better outcomes. PHC played a crucial role during the pandemic and can protect against future health shocks."

• Eurohealth

"The health community recognizes the climate crisis as an existential threat to humanity and human health, requiring immediate and effective action across all sectors. However, global-level policy guidance reveals a disconnect between primary health care and climate; most political declarations, reports and resolutions for primary health care make only cursory references to the climate crisis, mentioning its implications for health but not linking them. Given that primary health care should be the entry point for the population’s interaction with the health system, it is alarming that ongoing efforts to revitalize primary health care fail to adequately consider climate action, both in terms of mitigation and adaptation. In this paper, we examine this disconnect, elaborate on its implications and offer recommendations for policy-makers to ensure an effective primary health care–climate crisis nexus."

• Bulletin of the World Health Organization

"Primary health care (PHC) stands as the principal interface between the health system and communities – the locus where the formal health system meshes with people’s lives. More than that, primary health care can shape and reshape health systems to make them more accessible, more integrated and more sustainable. This Primer or policy textbook synthesizes the global evidence on PHC in one place, with a strong focus on country lessons and implementation as a guide on the “how” of PHC. The aim is to inspire policy-makers with best practice evidence but also provide insights into challenges which may arise. The book builds on the tacit knowledge that countries have generated with a more formal research and analysis."

• World Health Organization

"Care responsibilities are excluding and holding back millions of women worldwide from taking paid employment, and with climate and demographic changes on course to increase the demand for care, measures to support the care economy are urgently needed, according to a new ILO brief."

• International Labour Organization - ILO

"The active participation and engagement of health and care workers (‎HCWs)‎ in health emergency preparedness, readiness and response is crucial to support risk communication, community engagement and infodemic management (‎RCCE-IM)‎ interventions during emergencies. HCWs hold unique positions in society – repeatedly being identified among the main influencers of people’s behaviours: they are one of the most trusted sources of health information and advice in communities and role models for the acceptance and uptake of protective measures during health emergencies. On the frontline, HCWs have valuable insights and knowledge that can be harnessed to support health emergencies across the entire emergency cycle."

• World Health Organization (WHO)

"Between emerging diseases and pandemic threats, abortion and reproductive health, climate change, and humanitarian aid to war zones, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have wildly divergent visions for global health, with the outcome in next week’s US presidential election likely to reverberate across Europe and the world. (...) In a second term, Moon said Trump may seek to undermine negotiations over a global pandemic treaty."

• Euronews

"De retour de l’école, la petite Sreyka a été fauché par un véhicule lancé à toute vitesse à l’instant où elle traversait pour rejoindre sa maison. Gravement blessée, la fillette a été immédiatement transportée au centre de santé, puis à l’hôpital le plus proche, malheureusement insuffisamment équipé. Sreyka a ensuite été référée à l’hôpital pédiatrique de Phnom Penh, la capitale, où il a fallu amputer sa jambe gauche pour lui sauver la vie. Sept mois après son accident, Sreyka y reçoit un traitement. Nos physiothérapeutes et les orthopédistes lui fournissent une prothèse sur mesure et lui ont appris à marcher avec."

• Handicap International

"Global health continues to be a field where Global North actors see themselves as leaders.1,2 Although the decolonising global health movement has exposed the deep inequities inherent within the architecture of global health,1 this movement, prone to elite capture, faces several institutional barriers that prevent meaningful shifts in power."

• The Lancet Global Health

"Only 35 countries have submitted the national strategies required by the UN biodiversity treaty showing how they’ll meet its binding nature protection targets. While 33 of these plans recognise links between human health and biodiversity, they offer few specifics on implementation and policy, a Health Policy Watch analysis found. Negotiators in Cali aim to bridge the gap this week by adopting a global health action plan under the treaty that provides a roadmap for meeting its health protection requirements."

• Health Policy Watch

"La première pierre du nouveau centre chirurgical de jour a été posée hier. Grâce au large soutien que cet ambitieux projet recueille notamment en Suisse et en Europe, le calendrier des travaux du plus grand chantier actuel de Bethléem est respecté. La construction de cette extension offre l’espoir de meilleurs soins de santé pour les enfants de la région. « En accord avec la valeur chrétienne de dignité humaine, l’hôpital continue à soigner tous les enfants, indépendamment de leur origine, et contribuera à garantir leur droit fondamental à la santé. » Cette inscription sur la première pierre de la nouvelle aile de l’hôpital pédiatrique exprime sa vision pour de meilleurs soins de santé pour les enfants malades de Palestine – un objectif qui s’est aujourd’hui sensiblement rapproché."

• Secours aux Enfants Bethléem

"Als Siyabonga dem Team der mobilen Klinik in Lesotho auffiel, wog er nur 6,2 Kilo. Dabei war er schon eineinhalbjährig und hätte über elf Kilo wiegen sollen, wenn er gesund entwickelt gewesen wäre. Seine akute Mangelernährung könnte weitgehende Konsequenzen für sein zukünftiges Leben haben, denn die ersten 1000 Tage eines Menschen sind entscheidend für die weitere Entwicklung. Doch Siyabonga wird im Rahmen eines neuen SolidarMed-Projekts unterstützt."

• SolidarMed
• Webinar 5. Dezember 2024 (17:00 Uhr): Frühkindliche Entwicklung in Lesotho

"Für unsere Geschäftsstelle in Luzern und zur Verstärkung von unserem Fundraisingteam suchen wir auf den ​1. Januar 2025​ oder nach Vereinbarung eine motivierte und selbstständige Persönlichkeit als Verantwortliche:n Projektpartnerschaften (80%). Ihre Aufgaben: In dieser spannenden Position in unserem Kommunikations- und Fundraisingteam pflegen Sie den institutionellen Austausch mit Stiftungen, Kirchen und öffentliche Geldgeber in der Schweiz. Sie schaffen die Verbindung zwischen unseren Finanzpartnern und unseren Gesundheitsprogrammen im südlichen und östlichen Afrika. (...) Sie identifizieren neue Partnerschaften, gewinnen und betreuen neue Geldgeber und leisten einen Beitrag zur Weiterentwicklung des Portfolios von SolidarMed. Haben Sie Fragen? Andreas Rösch gibt Ihnen gerne Auskunft. T: +41 41 310 66 60 E-Mail: a.roesch@solidarmed.ch

• SolidarMed