Thursday, March 11, 2010

[EQ] Scaling up in international health: what are the key issues?

Scaling up in international health: what are the key issues?

Lindsay J Mangham and Kara Hanson
Health Economics and Financing Programme, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
Health Policy & Planning, March 2010, volume 25, no. 2
Editors' Choice Free Access paper

Available online at: http://heapol.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/25/2/85

“…….The term ‘scaling up’ is now widely used in the international health literature, though it lacks an agreed definition. We review what is meant by scaling up in the context of changes in international health and development over the last decade. We argue that the notion of scaling up is primarily used to describe the ambition or process of expanding the coverage of health interventions, though the term has also referred to increasing the financial, human and capital resources required to expand coverage.

We discuss four pertinent issues in scaling up the coverage of health interventions: the costs of scaling up coverage; constraints to scaling up; equity and quality concerns; and key service delivery issues when scaling up.

We then review recent progress in scaling up the coverage of health interventions. This includes a considerable increase in the volume of aid, accompanied by numerous new health initiatives and financing mechanisms.

There have also been improvements in health outcomes and some examples of successful large-scale programmes. Finally, we reflect on the importance of obtaining a better understanding of how to deliver priority health interventions at scale, the current emphasis on health system strengthening and the challenges of sustaining scaling up in the prevailing global economic environment. ….”

Three accompanying commentaries:

Lucy Gilson and Helen Schneider
Commentary: Managing scaling up: what are the key issues?
http://heapol.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/25/2/97

Susan M Cleary
Commentary: Trade-offs in scaling up HIV treatment in South Africa
http://heapol.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/25/2/99

Viroj Tangcharoensathien and Walaiporn Patcharanarumol
Commentary: Global health initiatives: opportunities or challenges?
http://heapol.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/25/2/101

 

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[EQ] Health and environment in Europe: progress assessment

Health and environment in Europe: progress assessment

     

Regional Office for Europe of the World Health Organization
2010, xx + 143 pages ISBN 978 92 890 4198 0

 

Available online PDF [168p.] at: http://www.euro.who.int/document/E93556.pdf

 

This report describes the progress made by WHO European Member States in improving their health and environment situations over the last 20 years.

 

The assessment focuses on the aspects of health related to clean water and air, chemical safety, noise and safety at work, and environments supporting safe mobility and physical activity.

 

The report also presents the aspects of national policies on environment and health that are related to public governance and healthy public policy.

 

Executive summary i

introduction

clean water - a basic human right

water-related diseases are persistent but decreasing

water-related health determinants: geographical and time patterns

access to improved water supply: disparities within and between countries

wastewater collection, treatment and sanitation: pronounced country differences

safe bathing water: faltering progress

emerging issues

co-benefits of providing improved drinking-water, sanitation and wastewater treatment

water, sanitation and health: policy analysis

public governance

healthy public policy

transparency and communication

overall progress

references

be mobile, active - and safe!

key messages

injuries and physical inactivity: public health importance

unintentional injuries

road traffic injuries – a leading cause of death

unsafe homes and neighbourhoods

excess weight and obesity: an epidemic

physical activity: getting active

p otential health benefits from mitigating climate change

injuries, health and safety: policy analysis

public governance

healthy public policy

transparency and communication

overall progress

references

clean air for health

key messages

clean air and its public health significance – new insights

the burden of respiratory disease

outdoor air pollution and its impact on health in Europe

exposure to indoor air pollution

second-hand tobacco smoke

exposure to products of indoor combustion

exposure to damp

synergies between climate change mitigation and cleaning the air

air quality and health: policy analysis

public governance

healthy public policy

transparency and communication

overall progress

references

eliminating environmental health hazards

key messages

chemical hazards

exposure to chemical hazards

food safety and chemical safety aspects of heavy metals: policy analysis

overall progress

references

environmental noise

exposure to environmental noise and its health effects

policies on environmental noise

references

o ccupational health

work-related health problems

policy considerations

references

Implementing the children’s environment and health action plan for europe:

the role of intersectoral collaboration

National cehap programmes

impact of cehape

challenges in implementing cehape

who support to cehape implementation

addressing cross-cutting issues

intersectoral collaboration on health

conclusions of the assessment

 

Annex 1. Countries which responded to who’s survey on environment and health policies (June 2009) and survey on cehape (November 2009) 1

annex 2. List of enh is fact sheets

annex 3. Policy survey and policy analysis methods

data collection - data analysis  - calculation of scores - annex 4. Contributors

 

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[EQ] The future of financing for WHO

The future of financing for WHO

Report of an informal consultation convened by the Director-General
Geneva, Switzerland, 12–13 January 2010

World Health Organization WHO/DGO/2010.1

PDF [32p.] English [pdf 228kb]

French [pdf 683kb]

Spanish [pdf 768kb]

“…..From 12-13 January 2010, the Director-General of WHO, Dr Margaret Chan convened an informal consultation on the future of financing for WHO. The consultation brought together senior officials and ministers from ministries of health, development cooperation, finance and foreign affairs speaking in their personal capacity.

The purpose of the meeting was to provide an opportunity to review the new landscape in which WHO works and to link this with a discussion about how WHO can define its core business more precisely, and what needs to be done to put the Organization on a more secure and sustainable financial footing in the future.


The meeting did not aim to reach definitive conclusions or consensus. Rather, it was conducted as a strategic conversation: identifying key issues in relation to WHO’s work at global and country level; acknowledging differences of opinion where they exist; and charting a way forward that will initially widen the circle of Member States involved in the discussion, and ultimately bring the debate into the more formal ambit of WHO’s Governing Bodies.

 

The report, following the introduction, is in two parts. The first provides an overview of the issues discussed. To give readers not present at the meeting a feel for how these were presented, it takes the form of the Director-General’s address at the opening of the meeting. The next section summarizes key themes from the discussion ….”

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This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
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