Dear Colleagues,
Despite a drastic overall budget reduction, the UK Conservative/LibDem government decided to steeply increase ODA. Great news, definitely. Some commentators even think we should aim for 1 % of GDP (instead of 0.7 %), to cope with the additional needs of climate change mitigation and adaptation. As you might have guessed, we happen to agree.< ?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
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Let’s hope the government will channel a considerable share of the ODA increase towards the Global Fund. We also hope this sets an example for other “conservative” governments that the soft power of aid may be a better use of resources than flexing military muscles. (That is, if you don’t brag too much about your aid; see the USAID logo controversy). Admittedly, there is a risk that the British government will “securitize” aid and concentrate ODA increasingly in fancy places like
Finally, the
Enjoy your reading.
Global Health
1. Global Health – vaccines at a crossroads
Adel Mahmoud; http://www.globalhealthmagazine.com/top_stories/vaccines_at_crossroads
Global health has a special issue on vaccines. It is clear we are at a crossroads. While modern technologies have advanced the development and distribution of vaccines, so too have infectious diseases evolved. Diseases like dengue are even cropping up in Northern climates. Who is winning in the race of survival of the fittest?
In the selected article, the author wonders what can be done about the stagnant state of vaccines.
2. Smart Global Health – Can an Equity Focus Accelerate Progress in Child and Maternal Mortality in the Next Five Years?
J. Stephen Morrison; http://www.smartglobalhealth.org/blog/entry/can-an-equity-focus-accelerate-progress-in-child-and-maternal-mortalit/
Stephen Morrison comments on the new equity-focused UNICEF strategy.
3. HP&P – How is health a security issue? Politics, responses and issues
Catherine Lo Yuk-ping and Nicholas Thomas; http://heapol.oxfordjournals.org/content/25/6/447.abstract
Health Policy & Planning has a special theme issue on “Unhealthy Governance: security challenges and policy prospects. “ Several articles are definitely worth a read, among others an article on AIDS and international security in the UN system, and one on the relationships between foreign aid, HIV and government health spending.
We included the introductory paper to the set of papers on ‘unhealthy governance’, which explores some of the key findings of subsequent papers.
4. Humanosphere -Thoughts on the Gates Foundation paying media to cover global health and developmen
Tom Paulson assesses the pros and contras of the funding of media by the Gates foundation.
Health Financing
5. Malaria journal – The quest for universal access to effective malaria treatment: how can the AMFm contribute?
Lloyd Matowe and Olusoji Adeyi; http://www.malariajournal.com/content/9/1/274
This paper examines, within access to medicines frameworks, the role of the AMFm across and within each dimension and discusses how the AMFm can help to solve access bottlenecks. A little bias would be understandable.
6. TMIH (viewpoint) – Per diems in Africa : a counter-argument
Conteh & Kingori ; http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-3156.2010.02644.x/full
Conteh and Kingori react on Valéry Ridde’s earlier viewpoint on per diems in
7. TMIH – When the ‘non-workable ideological best’ becomes the enemy of the ‘imperfect but workable good’
I Agyepong, J Nabyonga and D Hercot; http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-3156.2010.02639.x/abstract
This short paper addresses some of the difficulties inherent in international ideological approaches to solving the complex problems of health care financing and delivery in poor countries using
8. Owen Barder – INCENTIVES, RESULTS AND BUREAUCRACY IN AID
Owen Barder; http://www.owen.org/blog/3633
Again a great blog post from Owen Barder on the fact that aid should be more strongly linked to results. Barder takes on Simon Maxwell in this post.
UK
9. Owen Barder – UK SPENDING PLANS PROTECT DEVELOPMENT SPENDING
Owen Barder; http://www.owen.org/blog/3942
We are biased towards Owen Barder, as you might have guessed by now. In this post, he dissects the
10. ODI – The Comprehensive Spending Review: sticking to promises on aid
Obviously, ODI also paid attention to the development policy implications of the comprehensive spending review.
11. Guardian – Aid and ‘soft power’ becomes foreign policy focus
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/oct/20/aid-becomes-foreign-policy-focus
The Guardian generally approved of the strong soft power focus of the
Disease Control
12. TMIH – Providing universal access to antiretroviral therapy in Thyolo, Malawi
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-3156.2010.02649.x/abstract
Some colleagues were involved in this article on providing ART in
13. Lancet – India
Hay et al.; http://www.lancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)61084-7
Hay and colleagues comment on the invisible malaria burden of
Karen Grepin also comments on this, on her blog.
14. Lancet – Progress and challenges in neglected tropical diseases
Lancet; http://www.lancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)61936-8/fulltext
A Lancet editorial dwells on the substantial progress made towards removing the “neglected” from neglected tropical diseases last week, with the launch of WHO’s first global report on the diseases, coupled with new pledges to donate crucial drugs.
15. Lancet – Antiretroviral therapy in low-resource settings
Cainelli et al.; http://www.lancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)61957-5/fulltext
Cainelli et al. react in a Lancet letter to Koole & Colebunders’ comment on challenges to the treatment of HIV infection in sub-Saharan
US
16. Lancet – Implementing the US
Lancet; http://www.lancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(10)61938-1/fulltext
We haven’t paid attention to the