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Alliance News Digest

Information

WEEK OF 18 September 2009

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News from the Global Health Workforce Alliance

• Alliance Survey on 2nd Global HRH Forum: Mid-term report - The Alliance
  The Alliance online survey on the thematic focus of the 2nd Global Forum on Human Resources for Health (HRH) was launched on 24 August and has received 50 responses to date.
  
  

AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

• Health practitioners urged to tackle challenges in the sector - Peace FM Online, Ghana
  MoH stressed importance of schooling to ensure that quality health care is available throughout the country.
  

• NIGERIA: Medical schools in crisis - University World News-Africa Edition
  Concerned has been expressed concerning the standards of medical training in country’s 33 medical schools.
  

• Smell of death at Mulago: Relatives, friends mourn victims - Sunday Monitor, Uganda
  Street violence in Mulago and lack of health workers to attend victims.
  

• A Glove To Save a Mother's Life - IPS-Africa
  Although health personnel has been employed a wide gap remains – 4,000 health workers have been employed over the last three years with a need of 15,000.
  

• Sector da Saúde regista melhorias no Mussende - Angola Press
  Com vista a dotar os profissionais de conhecimentos actuais e colmatar as carências dos técnicos, a secção municipal levou a cabo alguns seminários de capacitação.
  

• More nurses to give KZN health a boost - BuaNews, SA
  There is a global crisis in the health workforce, expressed by acute shortages and 'poaching' of health workers by developed countries.
  

• Hamusonde urges behaviour change over gender violence - The Post, Zambia
  Gender violence has indirect impact on any country’s health care system and places burden on the national health workforce.
  

• Lagos Gives 210 Vehicles to Health Workers -This Day, Nigeria
  To improve working conditions for health workers Lagos State government has provided these vehicles.
  

• SA to miss AIDS treatment goal - Business Day, SA
  …mainly due to the lack of health staff and shortage of funds.
  
  

ASIA AND PACIFIC

• Indonesia's president pledges to reform health sector - Xinhua News, China
  It is the intention of the President of Indonesia to reform the health sector during the next five-year term.
  

• TERI-BSCD India organises ‘Business Response to HIV and AIDS’ - Financial Express, India
  The impact of HIV-AIDS on the workforce motivates private sector to increase funding towards AIDS prevention.
  

• Prov'l gov't recognizes LGUs, health workers in Comval - Philippine Information Agency
  Health workers recognized by local government.
  

• Supply of spurious drugs to hospitals: Senate body seeks report from ministry - Daily Times, Pakistan
  Gov’t shouldstrengthen the Lady Health Workers Programme through regular supply of funding so as to ensure continuous service delivery, especially in the country’s remote areas.
  

• AFGHANISTAN: Overstretched health services in Kandahar Province - IRIN-Asia
  Fighting and threats to health workers have forced the closure of at least 11 of the 38 rural health facilities.
  

• Staff shortage ails Jajpur healthcare - Express News Service, India
  While the need for health workers is enormous, large number of posts for women health workers remain vacant.
  

• Study reveals city-country eye health disparity - ABC News, Australia
  A study revealed a lack eye health workers to treat patients who live in regional and rural areas.
  

• Impact of Timor service to be studied - The Age, Australia
  The Dunt report called for improved mental health governance and policy, an enhanced mental health workforce, improved mental health training.
  
  

NORTH AMERICA

• Epidemic Exposes Hospital Flaws - Wall Street Journa
  H1N1 flu has moved health workers to demand improvement of working conditions.
  

• Child Mortality Rate Declines Globally - New York Times
  Child mortality rate has declined to below nine million for the first time.
  

• Health Workers Still Wary Of UNE's Plan For Clinics - WCSH6-TV, Maine
  People concerned about the sort reserved to the six University of New England health clinics.
  

• Kim talks health on ‘Bill Moyers’ - Dartmough News
  Interview with Dartmouth College President Jim Yong Kim.
  

• Grant to boost number of assisted living, home health workers - Dothan Eagle, Alabama
  Wallace Communit College provides about 80 percent of the health and nursing work force in southeast Alabama.
  

• My Word: California must change the law to ease doctor shortage - Oakland Tribune, CA
  This escalating shortage will devastate the communities served by the Health Care Districts of California.
  

• Health reform a necessity in N.H - New Hampshire Business Review
  There is a shortage of primary care, oral health and mental health workforce in New Hampshire.
  

• BU begins $10m global health effort - Boston Globe
  Boston University launched a global health initiative to bolster research and education, and helping to build a nationwide consortium of universities devoted to improving health in the Third World.
  

• Address health-care worker shortage: LHIN study - TbNews Watch, Canada
  Northwestern Ontario Local Health Integration Network’s priority is to address the region’s shortage of health workers.
  

• Cri d'alarme - Radio-Canada
  Si le gouvernement ne fait rien, la pénurie s'aggravera, et risque de compromettre l'accessibilité aux soins de premières lignes.
  
  

EUROPE

• Fall in child mortality in Africa and Asia is "grossly insufficient" to meet millennium development goal, says Unicef - British Medical Journal, UK
  "Compared with 1990, 10 000 fewer children are dying every day.", says UNICEF’s Executive Director.
  

• Chief urges NHS ban for attackers - BBC News, UK
  A senior police officer has called for people who abuse health service workers to be stopped from using NHS services.
  

• National Indigenous Health Equality Council Meets with Minister Snowdon - The Gov Monitor, UK
  The Council provides government with advice to close gap in health between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
  

• Poor health services in Uganda could hit life expectancy - The Guardian, UK
  Health workers shortages could continue to reduce life expectancy unless government reacts to reverse trend.
  

• Beyond HAART: scientists and activists need to work together - The Lancet, UK
  The South African health system has serious problems: a shortage of health workers, budget shortfalls, and many dysfunctional health facilities.
  

• Obama calls on Congress to pass health reform and explains his plan - British Medical Journal, UK
  President Barack Obama explained before both houses of Congress his plan for reforming US health care .
  

• Concerns grow over Cambodia's “AIDS colony” - The Lancet, UK
  The forced eviction of HIV-affected families from Phnom Penh has drawn criticism from human-rights groups.
  

• On va manquer de médecins de campagne - LaDépeche.fr
  Pour remédier aux problèmes d'accès aux soins, le Conseil national de l'ordre des médecins a émis plusieurs propositions, notamment le regroupement professionnel des médecins.
  

• Las plazas para formar especialistas sanitarios aumentan un 3% - El País, Spain
  Por primera vez se incorporan 12 puestos para Enfermería del Trabajo.
  
  

LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN

• Protestan empleados de unidad de medicina familiar 17 del IMSS - El Mexicano
  Denuncian escasez de material de curación, de medicamentos y por la falta de personal.
  

• CTI pediátrica do Hospital Lourenço Jorge não atende crianças - JB Online, Brazil
  A secretaria de Saúde ainda não conseguiu contratar médicos e enfermeiros para trabalharem lá. Só há carência de profissionais.
  

• Curso na área de acreditação hospitalar será realizado no Rio de Janeiro - Último Segundo, Brazil
  As palestras irão formar profissionais ligados à saúde, administração ou engenharia para atuar no setor de qualidade hospitalar..
  

• Enfermeras de Barrio Adentro reclaman pasivos laborales - Entorno Inteligente, Argentina
  Ministerio de Salud se han negado a establecer una mesa de diálogo para que las enfermeras puedan exponer su problema laboral.
  

• Deputados aprovam desconto no Fies para médicos e professores - Agência Câmara, Brazil
  Os médicos recém-formados atuarão em áreas com carência e dificuldades de retenção desses profissionais, conforme definido pelo Ministério da Saúde.
  

News from WHO and partners

• Road accidents, suicide and maternal conditions are leading causes of death in young people - WHO
  WHO-supported study of global mortality patterns shows 2.6 million young people die each year.
  

• UNFPA Reaffirms Its Support of Sexual and Reproductive Health Education of Young People - UNFPA
  UNFPA reaffirmed its support for comprehensive sexuality education as an essential component of efforts to protect the health and rights of young people.
  

• Access to Health Information Under International Human Rights Law (Draft) - HIFA2015
  The Institute for Information Law and Policy and the Justice Action Center at NYLS are collaborating with Healthcare Information for All by 2015. (September 2009)
  

• A Changing Climate for Development - World Bank
  Climate change is inextricably linked with development and human progress.
  

• Welcoming a Comprehensive, Integrated Approach to Health - AMREF
  AMREF has many new projects coming into force in gender and youth empowerment, maternal health and family planning.
  

• Too poor to pay: Merlin joins 60 agencies calling for free health care - Merlin, UK
  A report published by a group of 62 NGOs and health unions says that half a million pregnant women die each year because they do not have access to health care.