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Access to care is viewed as a human right, but how to finance it is a hot topic, both in developed and in developing countries. Two of our colleagues react on the debate on international funding mechanisms with a plea for a global health insurance or health fund. According to the editorial in the Lancet, the classical divides between vertical-horizontal and Beveridge-Bismarck are becoming less relevant since many countries have mixed systems and all strategies contribute to the gradual process towards the final goal of universal health coverage. Equinet has examined the importance of private capital in the sub-Saharan African health sector, and comes to the conclusion that foreign private capital flows in this sector are very limited in reality.
Mental health is gaining momentum on the international health agenda and this is highly necessary, regarding the state of care for mentally ill in many countries. We selected two article from the Lancet, giving a perspective on this matter.
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While the influenza pandemic is still developing, the debate about the control strategies has already taken off. We focus on the appropriateness of communication strategies towards the public and the solidarity of high income countries to share their vaccine resources with the developing world.
Finally, we selected a comment in the Lancet on the European drug regulation policy and a call from the WHO to revitalize strategies to tackle diarrheal diseases as a leading cause of death.
Enjoy your reading.
Josefien van Olmen & Kristof de Coster, on behalf of David Hercot & Wim Van Damme
Health Financing and Access to care
1. The Lancet: all for universal health coverage (viewpoint)
Laurie Garrett, A Mushtaque R Chowdhury, Ariel Pablos-Méndez
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(09)61503-8/fulltext?_eventId=login
2. Global responsibilities for global health rights
Gorik Ooms, Wim Van Damme
3. Commercialisation of health and capital flows in east and southern
Greg Ruiters and Brett Scott
http://www.equinetafrica.org/bibl/docs/DIS77capflowRUITERS.pdf
Mental Health
4. Movement for global mental health gains momentum
Editorial Lancet
5. Global mental health: a failure of humanity
Arthur Kleinman
American health Reform
6. New York Times – Why we need health care reform
Barack Obama
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/16/opinion/16obama.html?_r=2&ref=global
Influenza
7. The
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bal-op.swineflu17aug17,0,7835912.story
8. WHO Bulletin – Risk and outbreak communication: lessons from alternative paradigms
Thomas Abraham
http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/87/8/08-058149/en/index.html
Drugs regulation
9. European Commission takes on Big Pharma
André den Exter
Global Health News
10. Secretary of State Clinton’s
http://www.globalhealth.org/news/printview-news.php3?id=11375
11. WHO Bulletin report – Renewed call to action for diarrhoea treatment. Zinc and low osmolarity ORS for diarrhoea: a renewed call to action
Christa L Fischer Walker, Olivier Fontaine, Mark W Young & Robert E Black
http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/87/08-058990.pdf
