International health policies in the news today 77

Dear Colleagues,

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At this time of the year, news stories tend to be frivolous. Lily Allen pregnant (good for her), Bill Cosby declared dead (again) by Twitter, and the like. Global health issues, however, are anything but trivial. It’s good to see that MPs in the < ?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />US and the UK are aware of that, even in the midst of summer.

In a letter, 100 American Legislators asked Obama to increase the US Global Fund Contribution. They encourage the beleaguered president to make a three-year commitment of at least $6 billion to the Global Fund. In the UK, parliamentarians are also putting some global health pressure on their new prime minister, ahead of the MDG+ summit.  The “Health is Wealth” document, made in collaboration with AFGH, asks the UK government to play a prominent role during the MDG+ summit to make sure that the barriers in achieving the health MDGs are sufficiently addressed. These MPs talk the talk, but will the decision makers walk the walk in the coming months?

 

Enjoy your reading.

 

David Hercot, Kristof Decoster, Josefien Van Olmen, Basile Keugong & Wim Van Damme

Global Health

 

1. Global Health Policy (blog) – Will global health break the back of the G20 ?

Devi Sridhar;

http://www.globalhealthpolicy.net/?p=141

In a nice blog post, Sridhar wonders whether health might overburden the G20.

2. Global Poverty (blog) – Kampala to Beijing: Global Health’s Influential New “Hot Spots”

Victor Roy;

http://globalpoverty.change.org/blog/view/kampala_to_beijing_global_healths_influential_new_hot_spots

Roy zooms in on a few new global health “hot spots”, like Beijing, Kampala, and Boston.

 

3. Globalization and health – A renewed focus on primary health care: revitalize or reframe?

Mrigesh Bhatia  & Susan Rifkin;

http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/content/6/1/13/abstract

Bhatia and Rifkin review PHC developments of the last 30 years and see three challenges for the future, up for discussion. These challenges will need to addressed if PHC is to remain relevant in this era.

 

4. IPS – Trade Talks with EU Put Drug Manufacturers on Edge

http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=52360

The negotiations between India and the EU are still ongoing, but they might lead to a free-trade agreement by the end of August. Indian drug manufacturers are worried.

 

A related IPS analysis also sheds some light on the threat for HIV generics posed by tighter patenting rules.

 

5. Lancet – Donors lose faith in Zambian Health Ministry

Ann Danaiya Usher;

http://www.lancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)61205-6/fulltext

The GF has dropped the MoH in Zambia as a principal recipient and approached the UNDP to replace it. Ann Danaiya Usher reports on the murky Zambian situation.

 

MDGs

 

6. KFF – Obama Administration Releases U.S. MDGs Strategy

http://globalhealth.kff.org/Daily-Reports/2010/August/02/GH-080210-US-MDG-Strategy.aspx

The Obama administration unveiled its MDG strategy during a meeting at the UN Foundation, off limits to the press. The strategy is centered around four goals. Looks like the Obama administration is, at last, making the MDGs a priority.

 

7. WHO Bulletin (editorial) – Conflict in least-developed countries: challenging the Millennium Development Goals

Peter S Hill, Ghulam Farooq Mansoor & Fernanda Claudio;

http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/88/8/09-071365.pdf

Hill et al. draw some valuable lessons from the Afghan MDG experience.

 

Maternal health

 

8. BMJ (news) – UK aid policy focuses on family planning for world’s women

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/341/jul29_3/c4135

The UK government “will put family planning at the heart of its approach to women’s health in the developing world”, according to Andrew Mitchell, the new UK international development secretary.

 

9. Lancet – UN Women to spearhead new drive for gender equality

Talha Burki;

http://www.lancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)61206-8/fulltext

Talha Burki reports on the new UN body charged with advancing gender equality. Hopefully this new UN body will succeed in boosting maternal health worldwide.

 

AIDS and Malaria

 

10.    Lancet – The price of success

Jeremy Laurance;

http://www.lancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)61209-3/fulltext

Journalist Jeremy Laurance reflects on the often worrying reaction to successes in the fight against AIDS and malaria.

 

11.    KFF – President Obama, Sec. Of State Discuss U.S. Commitment To Development, Fighting Disease In Africa With Young African Leaders

http://globalhealth.kff.org/Daily-Reports/2010/August/04/GH-080410-Young-African-Leaders.aspx

Last Tuesday, Obama met with over 100 young African business and civil leaders at the White House. He talked about various issues with them, but especially his comments on the current HIV/AIDS situation in Africa were anticipated.

 

12.    KFF – Kaiser Family Foundation/CSIS Forum Reviews AIDS 2010, Looks Ahead To AIDS 2012

http://globalhealth.kff.org/Daily-Reports/2010/August/05/GH-080510-AIDS-2010.aspx

During a panel discussion in Washington, experts reflected on the Vienna AIDS conference. The event will be remembered for the growing recognition of treatment as part of prevention and a focus on the importance of human rights, they said. And obviously, it was also the first one since the economic downturn. The next one, in the US, will take place in a US presidential election year.

 

13.    Plos Medicine – Assessing Strategy and Equity in the Elimination of Malaria

Naman K. Shah;

http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000312;jsessionid=1B4D0BC1E71C4039F2F0F77EA189BE1B.ambra02

Shah questions the wisdom of a worldwide malaria elimination strategy.

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