IHSJ Reader, September 9, 2011

IHSJ Reader     September 2011     Issue 8         

Note: Triple asterisk (***) indicates subscription-only sources.

NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES

Informing the 2011 UN Session on Noncommunicable Diseases: Applying Lessons from the AIDS Response
(Peter Lamptey, Michael Merson, Peter Piot, K. Srinath Reddy, Rebecca Dirks, PLoS, September 6, 2011)
In two weeks, the United Nations (UN) High-Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases will begin, providing the first formal UN opportunity for the international community to raise awareness of the burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Global advocates are hoping to apply the lessons learned in the global response to HIV to inform the structure of the NCD response.  In order to prevent, diagnose, and treat the dual burden of communicable and noncommunicable diseases that are disproportionately felt among the poorest billion people in the world, plans must focus on strengthening health care from the community to the tertiary care centers.   

Delivering Hope:  Cancer Care in the Developing World 
(Livestrong, September 7, 2011)
Cancer and other noncommunicable diseases NCDs significantly impact populations in low- and middle-income countries, where about 80 percent of NCD deaths occur. In this new report, LIVESTRONG features a case study on a  patient treated for cancer by Partners In Health in Rwanda, where PIH has been advocating for expanded treatment of NCDs like cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The report recommends practical, effective and affordable strategies to address cancer prevention and treatment, and describes how existing health systems designed to treat infectious diseases in low-income countries can be strengthened to address cancer.

Grappling With the Tensions Around NCDs
(Sir George Alleyne, Alafia Samuels, Karen Sealey, Global Health Magazine, August 2011)
By 2030, the burden of disease from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) will be three times greater than that of communicable disease and maternal, perinatal, and nutritional conditions combined. The upcoming United Nations High-Level Meeting on NCDs has stirred tensions around global health funding. However, these conflicts could be allayed by redirecting focus to strengthening health systems so they deliver comprehensive, integrated care rather than debating whether communicable or noncommunicable diseases should receive more funding.

HAITI

Haiti’s Needless Cholera Deaths
(New York Times, September 6, 2011)
Nearly one year after cholera’s deadly outbreak in Haiti, more than 6,000 people have died and another 420,000 have been sickened. Cholera is easily preventable and treatable, but resources for building water and sanitation infrastructure, expanding cholera treatment centers, and scaling up antibiotic, Zinc, and vaccination efforts remain insufficient. In this timely piece, the editorial board of the New York Times calls upon the international community and the Haitian Ministry of Health to urgently “wage a more aggressive and effective effort, which should include not only clean water and sanitation systems but more antibiotics and cholera vaccinations.” Controlling the epidemic and preventing unnecessary death will require strengthening the public sector’s capacity to provide comprehensive prevention and care. For more information on the cholera response, see this August United Nations bulletin.

Haiti’s Rise From the Rubble
(Paul Collier, Foreign Affairs, September/October 2011)
Paul Collier, Professor of Economics and Director of the Center for the Study of African Economics at Oxford University, reviews Paul Farmer’s latest book, Haiti After the Earthquake. Though Collier agrees that Haiti’s history of malign foreign intervention has undermined Haiti’s chronically weak institutions, he challenges Farmer’s recommendation that earthquake relief and reconstruction aid be channeled directly to Haitian public institutions and ministerial budgets. Collier views the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission as a necessary solution to the “acute-on chronic” nature of Haiti’s disaster. PIH remains dedicated to accompanying the Haitian government in rebuilding and strengthening public health systems, and views the role of the state as central to ensuring universal and equitable health care.

Nobody Remembers Us: Failure to Protect Women’s and Girls’ Right to Health and Security in Post-Earthquake Haiti
(Human Rights Watch, August 19, 2011)
Despite the billions of dollars pledged in post-earthquake recovery, less than half of the $258 million dedicated to health care has been disbursed. A lack of health care funding results in a lack of access to reproductive and maternal care in Haiti, where the rights of women and girls to health and security are continuously violated. The international community and the Government of Haiti must redouble efforts to ensure that women and girls receive the life-saving care and security they deserve. 

GLOBAL HEALTH FINANCING

Aid Effectiveness: Bringing Country Ownership (and Politics) Back In
(David Booth, Overseas Development Institute, August 2011)
In advance of the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, David Booth reflects on hidden assumptions shaping the aid effectiveness discourse. For instance, is there good theory linking “aid harmonization” to “country ownership”, or is it possible that “aid harmonization” actually  limits the freedom of recipient governments to choose their own development strategy? And are the concepts of “donor alignment” and “donor accountability” still effective if political leaders are not already committed to good development outcomes? Ultimately, development cooperation involves not only bridging resource gaps and challenging unfair global trade, finance, and military practices, but also helping to overcome obstacles that weaken public institutions and undermine the social and economic rights of citizens.  

Lao PDR: How Free Births are Saving Women’s Lives (The World Bank, August 30, 2011)                                                            In an effort to reach the fifth Millennium Development Goal of reducing maternal deaths by 3/4 by 2015, the government of Laos has implemented an exciting new initiative: free facility-based deliveries in the Nong and Thapanthong districts.  With the help of a $15 million grant from the World Bank, the abolition of user fees has led to an increase in the number of women delivering in health facilities and a decrease in fatal maternal complications. PIH supports the removal of user fees for health and hopes to see more programs like this implemented around the world. 

HIV/AIDS

Deaths Reported As ARV Shortage Continues
(PlusNews, September 5, 2011)
Burundi is experiencing the impact of shortages in HIV treatment, due in part to cuts in foreign assistance. Of the 35,000 people who need ARVs, “Some have died, others have turned to traditional healers, and all of them [HIV-positive people] are discouraged," laments Jeanne Gapiya, President of Burundi's largest HIV NGO, Association Nationale de soutien aux Seropositifs et Sideens (ANSS). The international community must continue advocating for the right to health and refuse to turn back on the enormous progress achieved in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

WOMEN’S HEALTH

Family Planning as a Pro-Life Cause
(Michael Gerson, Washington Post, August 29, 2011)
Family planning plays a crucial role in development. In communities that do not have access to maternal health services, contraceptives save women and children from high risk pregnancies. U.S. global health initiatives should ensure that access to and education around family planning is part of comprehensive health care services.

NEONATAL HEALTH

Neonatal Mortality Levels for 193 Countries in 2009 with Trends Since 1990: A Systematic Analysis of Progress, Projections, and Priorities
(Mikkel Zahle Oestergaard, et. al, PLoS, August 30, 2011)
Between 1990 and 2009, approximately 79 million infants died in the first four weeks of life; most of these deaths occur in developing countries and are caused by preventable or treatable diseases. Though neonatal mortality (deaths occurring during the first 28 days of life) has declined worldwide, progress is substantially slower in poor regions where health systems are weak and underfunded. Many of these neonatal deaths could be prevented by implementing interventions that are commonplace in developed countries.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Global Health Check
(www.globalhealthcheck.org)
Anna Marriott, Health Policy Advisor for Oxfam GB, has launched a new blog to stimulate debate and conversation on health financing and service delivery. Check it out!

The Health Show: Poor sanitation fuels cholera outbreak in Haiti
(BBC News World Radio and TV)
Tune in to a recent episode of this BBC global health series to see Zanmi Lasante’s Dr. Ralph Ternier discuss the devastating impact of cholera in Haiti.