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Alliance News Digest

Information

WEEK OF 6 November 2009

News related to/from the Global Health Workforce Alliance

• Countries and partners call for a multisectoral response to human resources for health at the meeting in Ghana - The Alliance. (11/2)
  Over 170 delegates from fourteen African countries and development partners gathered in Accra for a meeting on "Good Practices for Country Coordination and Facilitation."
  

• Lord Nigel Crisp - Champion for Global Health Workforce Alliance - The Alliance (11/3)
  Interview with Lord Nigel Crisp, passionate and tireless advocate for health workforce issues since 2006.
  
  

AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

• Health minister visits tindumba - Swazi Observer. (11/2)
  Mkhuzweni Health Centre faces challenges ranging from falling ceiling, shortage of nurses and drug shortages.
  

• Challenges of poaching in the ICT world - Sun Daily, Nigeria. (11/3)
  Some years back, Nigeria experienced the problem of brain drain especially in the health sector, but it is now in every sector.
  

• "Be Careful When Considering Migration" - Peace FM Online, Ghana. (11/3)
  TUC launched journal, captioned Pre-Decision and Information Kit on migration and women health workers in Koforidua.
  

• Bastonário da Ordem dos Médicos pede mais formação - Angola Press. (10/30)
  em Luanda, a necessidade da formação de mais médicos para cobrir a carência existente no ramo de saúde.
  

• Parteiras tradicionais recebem kits de trabalho no Sambizanga - Angola Press. (10/30)
  a intenção é potenciar as profissionais com meios adequados e proporcionar-lhes melhores condições de trabalho
  

• 'Doctors And Other Health Workers on Same Grade Level Must Earn the Same Call Allowance' - Daily Trust, Nigeria. (11/5)
  FCT Administration approved the recall of about 50 health workers; especially those with specialist certificates.
  

• Zain and Ericsson join forces to provide 3.5G in rural Ghana - IT News Africa. (11/4)
  Zain Africa and Ericsson are collaborating to provide communications solutions that will help to improve the quality of life for people in one of the remotest parts of Ghana.
  

• Health Institutions Operating At 17% Capacity - Peace FM Online, Ghana. (11/4)
  District assemblies will sponsor training of medical students and other health professionals who will then serve in their localities after graduation.
  

• Prof Mwaikambo: Tanzanian who earns top Harvard accolade - The Citizen, Tanzania. (11/3)
  In the United States, the doctor-to-patient ratio is roughly 1 to 400. In Tanzania, the ratio is upwards of 1 to 50,000.
  
  

ASIA AND PACIFIC

• Taiwan moves up date of swine flu shots for students - Taiwan News. (11/3)
  shortage of health workers nationwide is another factor affecting the smooth implementation of the immunization program.
  

• AICUFers embark on rural exploration camp - Mangalorean.com, India. (11/3)
  Training and orientation programs are organized for midwives and health volunteers on preparation of herbal medicine
  

• Clear ideas on migrant workers’ safety demanded - Jakarta Post. (11/3)
  Government’s assistance is required to assure safety the country’s migrant workers.
  

• Health costs far scarier than bill for super - New Zealand Herald. (11/5)
  New Zealand’s health workforce has a high dependence on overseas born and trained staff
  

• Cash incentives to lure doctors - Fraser Coast Chronicle, Australia. (11/3)
  Hervey Bay can now benefit from Rudd Government’s Rural Health Workforce Strategy.
  

• Health staff shortage 'cripples' regions - The Age, Australia. (10/30)
  18000 health professionals including nurses and allied health workers were needed in rural areas.
  

• Overseas nurse search for Peninsula hospitals - Morning Peninsula Leader, Australia. (11/2)
  There is a worldwide shortage of nurses and Australia is no exception.
  

NORTH AMERICA

• Child mental health workforce may shrink, report says - Boston Globe. (10/30)
  Families say they have a hard time finding a clinician and practitioners
  

• Obamacare Threatens U.S. Medical Education System - NewsMax.com. (11/1)
  AAMP projects a shortage of between 124,000 and 159,000 physicians by 2025.
  

• Efficacy of Short-Course AZT Plus 3TC to Reduce Nevirapine Resistance in the Prevention of Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission: A Randomized Clinical Trial – PLoS Medicine. (10/27)
  In 2007, an estimated 420,000 children were newly infected with HIV, the majority through MTCT.
  

• Valley may soon be a health care nexus - The Desert Sun, CA. (11/1)
  Hospitals eager to help colleges train students
  

• Kent State opens enrollment for public health bachelor’s, graduate degrees to follow- MedCity News. (10/30)
  Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services estimates a public health workforce shortage of about 10,000 by 2020.
  

• New York's Gov. Paterson declares H1N1 state of emergency - CNN. (10/30)
  Broadening the number of health care professionals who can administer vaccine, New York Gov. David Paterson issued an executive order.
  
  

• Royal College calls for federal investments to support stable, specialty workforce to meet growing health demands - Newswire, Canada. (11/2)
  Stable, high performing and sufficient specialty medical workforce is needed
  

• Latinos pueden ser profesionales de la salud - La Opinión, USA. (10/29)
  Estudiar medicina no es la única opción, conoce las alternativas
  

• Carrières méconnues dans la santé - Métro Montréal, Canada. (11/2)
  Le recrutement de médecins, d’infirmières est une préoccupation constante.
  

• Health Reform Needs Stronger Focus on National Workforce Strategy– PR Newswire. (11/4)
  AAHC Urges Senate Majority Leader Reid to Amend Senate Bill to Strengthen National Workforce Planning Body
  

EUROPE

• Call to act on maternal mortality - BBC News, UK. (10/27)
  There are more Ethiopian midwives working in Chicago now than in Addis Ababa.
  

• Ghana targets health tourism boom - BBC News, UK. (10/30)
  Although this business is not always welcome as most citizens struggle to get the most basic health care, diverting resources and staff
  

• Maternal mortality across the world – BBC News, UK. (10/26)
  Nearly half of all children in Malawi are born without the assistance of a trained health specialist.
  

• UNICEF responds to lack of health care for mothers and newborns in Sierra Leone - ReliefWeb.ch. (10/27)
  are performed by trained midwives in only 2 per cent of community health centres, and only 5 per cent of the facilities have paediatricians.
  

• New lease of life for birth centre as private care home - Portsmouth News, UK. (11/3)
  NHS chiefs shut the centre in July 2005 because of a shortage of midwives, claiming the closure was temporary
  
  

• The suffering of physicians - The Lancet, UK. (10/24)
  During the past 40 years, we have become all too familiar with the dehumanisation of modern medicine
  

• Distinctions between health and social care could fade under new national care service - British Medical Journal, UK. (11/2)
  Current plan to reform social care would mean a much closer relationship between it and the health service.
  

• Innovative financing of health care - British Medical Journal, UK. (11/4)
  With national budgets stretched, countries are trying to find new ways to fund aid to developing countries.
  

• Profesionales de Enfermería de Senegal visitan el Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Albacete - La Cerca, Spain. (10/31)
  Gracias al programa “Profidis” en el que participa el Gobierno de Castilla-La Mancha.
  

• El SATSE se concentra para exigir más personal en Urgencias del Virgen Rocío - ADN, Spain. (11/2)
  SATSE ha convocado mañana una concentración para reclamar más personal en el Servicio de Urgencias.
  

LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN

• Hospital habilita residencia, pero necesita más médicos - Última Hora, Paraguay. (11/3)
  Hospital Distrital de Hernandarias necesita 40 profesionales más para brindar un servicio de calidad.
  

• Por denunciar carencias… - Expreso Chiapas, Mexico. (10/30)
  por la falta de medicinas, equipo e instalaciones adecuadas y personal capacitado.
  

• Migración de médicos venezolanos: ¿Exilio o avalancha? - El Nacional, Venezuela. (11/2)
  Los médicos que desean irse de Venezuela encuentran en las redes sociales existentes en Internet un sistema de apoyo donde pueden comunicarse con otros colegas.
  

• Cómo contrarrestar la falta de enfermeros - Diario Democracia, Argentina. (11/1)
  El déficit de enfermeros es uno de los grandes preblemas del sistema de salud de Argentina.
  

• Situación cada vez más crítica - El Nacional, Venezuela (10/30)
  Para Douglas León Natera es un error que se califique a un médico de manera negativa cuando manifiesta su intención de irse.
  

• Saturación y falta de personal en el sistema de salud de Yucatán: Codhey - La Jornada, Mexico. (11/04)
  Yucatán tiene un déficit de mil trabajadores, entre médicos, enfermeras y paramédicos
  

News from WHO and partners

• Lawmakers Commit to Women's Health and Rights by 2015 - UNFPA. (10/28)
  15 Years After Landmark Cairo Population Conference: Some Progress, But More to be Done.
  

• Are vaccination programmes delivered by lay health workers cost-effective? A systematic review - HRH Journal. (11/3)
  LHW interventions could lead to promising benefits in the promotion of childhood vaccination uptake.
  

• PSI demands justice for world’s 200 million migrants - Public Services International. (11/2)
  Industrialised countries with aging populations bring in workers to fill labour shortages without benefits or rights and then want to send them back.
  

• Private sector in West and Central Africa explore strategic partnerships for improved health outcomes - UNAIDS. (10/27)
  A strategic combination of private sector know-how with public sector expertise and funding could lead to improved health and a more efficient AIDS response in West and Central Africa.
  

• PODCAST - Grappling with Health Worker Shortages - World Bank. (10/16)
  World Bank podcasts. Health workers play a crucial role in increasing access to health services for poor people
  

• The 16th Annual Canadian Conference on International Health - CIDA. (10/27)
  Speaking Notes for the Minister of International Cooperation at The 16th Annual Canadian Conference on International Health.