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Alliance News Digest

Week of 6 August 2010

NEWS FROM WHO AND PARTNERS

• Breastfeeding key to saving children’s lives – WHO. (7/30)
  Ten steps to successful breastfeeding highlighted during World Breastfeeding Week
• UNFPA Rushes Delivery and Hygiene Supplies to Flood-Affected Communities in Pakistan – UNFPA. (8/3)
  In consultation with the provincial health department, UNFPA has started assessing the flood’s impact on health facilities
• African First Ladies and UNAIDS to work together for the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV – UNAIDS. (8/3)
  Members of OAFLA gathered in Kampala to deliberate on the theme of “Maternal and Child Health
• Med-e-Tel, Luxembourg, 2010 – HIFA2015. (8/03)
  Med-e-Tel is an annual conference looking at ehealth and telemedicine
• Senate Full Committee Approves FY 2011 State, Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill – Global Health Council. (7/30)
  The FY 11 President's request for total global health funding was $8.513 billion

AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST

• WHO implores health workers to help promote breastfeeding – The Post, Zambia. (8/2)
  WHO has reiterated its call on health workers to implement steps to help mothers breastfeed successfully and improve their babies’ health
• Another Bold Tackle on Infant Mortality – This Day, Nigeria. (8/1)
  The Countdown Initiative is a supra-institutional collaborative effort of concerned individuals and partner organisations
• US body helps communities fight HIV/AIDS – ZimOnline, Zimbabwe. 87/29)
  The workshops in Binga and Victoria Falls targeted 30 home based caregivers and peer educators based in the Matabeleland North province
• AU Summit adopts forward-looking health measures – New Era, Namibia. (8/3)
  In five most affected African countries, only 18 to 47 percent of births had skilled attendants present
• ‘Focus on long term health plan’ – New Vision, Uganda. (7/23)
  Reports show that absence of skilled workers at birth is the leading cause of maternal death
• Mobile Health Conquers Maternal Death – New Times, Rwanda. (7/23)
  Community Health Workers will ensure that all expecting mothers especially those in rural areas get skilled care during pregnancy and childbirth
• Eastern Province health workers on indefinite strike – The Post, Zambia. (7/23)
  OVER 200 health workers at Chipata General Hospital and Kapata Urban Clinic last Thursday withdrew labour for non payment of their June salaries
• Edo striking workers reject govt’s appeal – Vanguard, Nigeria. (8/3)
  Nigerian Medical Association is urging the state government and the health workers to return to the negotiation table to negotiate salary scales.
• NBN pushing to exempt more oleh doctors from army – Haaretz, Israel. (7/30)
  Currently, all male doctors moving to Israel before they turn 38 are conscripted into the Israel Defense Forces

ASIA AND PACIFIC

• UNICEF stresses role of healthcare providers in urging mothers to breastfeed kids – The Hindu, India. (8/3)
  UNICEF’s experts believe the 10 steps should be standard practice in all maternity facilities
• Kerala launches second phase of H1N1 immunisation – The Hindu, India. (8/2)
  Kerala is in the second phase of immunising doctors and health workers against H1N1 infection
• Militant medical group seeks release of ‘Morong 43’ detainee who gave birth – Manila Bulletin. (8/2)
  One of the 43 health workers arrested by government security forces in a farm house in Morong last February gave birth by cesarean procedure to a baby boy
• Successful breastfeeding in just 10 steps - The Inquirer, Philippines. (8/1)
  Train all health care staff in skills necessary to implement breastfeeding policy
• Legarda eyes P500 increase in allowance of barangay day care workers – The Star, Philippines. (7/30)
  Sen. Loren Legarda has recommended an increase in allowance of barangay day care
• No golden years for pharmacists – Pharmacy News, Australia. (8/3)
  Strategies aimed at improving health workforce retention should be tailored towards each occupation, rather than the broader health workforce

NORTH AMERICA

• The Big Money: Maybe it's job retraining that needs to be retooled – Washington Post. (8/1)
  Today, the shortage of doctors in the United States is worse than at any time in the last fifty years.
• Impact of Community-Based Maternal Health Workers on Coverage of Essential Maternal Health Interventions among Internally Displaced Communities in Eastern Burma: The MOM Project – PLoS Medicine. (8/3)
  
• Connex recruits students interested in health careers – Yakima Herald-Republic. (7/31)
  The teens will do two weeks of on-the-job experience in a rural community where health care providers and professionals are particularly needed
• HIV in Maternal and Child Heath: Concurrent Crises Demand Cooperation (Editorial) – PLoS Medicine. (7/27)
  Reducing child mortality and improving maternal health are two of eight MDGs agreed to by 191 UN member states.
• Welcome Home, Baby – Voice of America News. (7/30)
  After falling out of favor, home births are now on the rise in the United States
• Global Health: Then and Now - UN Chronicle. (8/2010)
  Over the past generation, international health has given way to “global health”
• Global Health: Priority Agenda for the 21st Century – UN Chronicle. (8/2010)
  Many low-income countries are unlikely to achieve MDGs, primarily because of critical shortages of health workers and weak health care systems
• U.S. Sen. Harkin: Health funding bill delivers on the promise of health reform – Iowa Politics. (7/29)
  $170 million increase to health professions training programs, with an emphasis on primary care, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, oral health and the public health workforce
• Mobile obstetrics project improves health of mothers in Eastern Burma – PhysOrg.com. (8/3)
  MOM Project (mobile obstetric medics) dramatically increased access to maternal health care services for internally displaced woman in eastern Burma
• Where so many children die bearing children – Toronto Star (7/28)
  The Congo is a difficult place to be born, or borne — as in utero.

EUROPE

• Nurses go wireless and free up time – Wales Online, UK. (8/4)
  District nurses are being equipped with specially designed computers to help them spend more time with patients.
• GPs will have to perform well to earn a "quality premium" in shake up of commissioning – BMJ, UK. (7/23)
  A part of GPs’ income will in future be allocated only to those doctors who are part of a successful commissioning group
• Health workers get safety devices – Scarborough Evening News, UK. (8/2)
  Health staff at Scarborough health trust have been issued with personal safety devices as part of a new NHS initiative.
• ‘Government needs to stop making excuses and start acting’ – MUMN – Malta Independent. (8/2)
  University of Malta made it clear that over half the students applying for the diploma course will not be accepted
• Wycombe Hospital maternity closes tomorrow – Bucks Free Press, UK. (7/31)
  WYCOMBE Hospital’s maternity unit will close tomorrow for three months because of a staff shortage
• Unions chiefs slam plan to cut hospital beds – Chronicle Live, UK. (7/30)
  A restructuring care provision could see more than 451 beds cut and the health workforce shrink by around 166 posts by 2014
• NHS staff numbers begin to fall as fears rise over effect of efficiency savings – BMJ, UK. (7/23)
  This may be the start of a trend of a shrinking NHS workforce
• Germany strives to attract overseas talent – Financial Times, UK. (8/3)
  German wants to attract skilled migrant workers such as electrical engineers, electricians, doctors, pharmacists and other health workers
• Axe looms for health workers – Lancashire Evening Post. (8/5)
  NHS workers have been told their jobs will be cut in a bid to save £4m.
• SATSE pide responsabilidades por sentencia que paraliza ingreso de enfermeras – ABC, Spain. (7/30)
  SATSE reclama al respecto en un comunicado al Servicio Navarro de Salud-Osasunbidea una ampliación del número de plazas ofertadas

LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN

• AMPROS critica con dureza por la situación de los hospitales – MDZ Online, Argentina. (7/29)
  Problemas que se suscitan en la guardia por haber un solo médico las 24 horas: se encuentra sobrepasado por el trabajo
• El IESS no tiene remedio – La Hora, Ecuador. (8/1)
  El hospital ‘Manuel Ignacio Monteros de Loja’ tiene un déficit de médicos, enfermeras y hasta de auxiliares de enfermería.
• Desde mañana habrá tres médicos más en Costa de Araujo – Diario Ciudadano, Argentina. (8/1)
  El ministro de Salud de la provincia anunció que fue asignnado más personal médico y de apoyo logístico en Costa de Araujo
• Prefeito inaugura UPA em Santa Cruz e diz que pode faltar pediatra – O Dia Onlline, Brazil. (8/2)
  A carência de médicos na rede pública não se resume à pediatria”.
• Se incrementan casos de IRA en el centro de salud de Mazocruz – Correo, Peru. (7/30)
  No hay personal ni equipos medicos
• Cumple con talleres de capacitación y más actividades – La Gaceta, Ecuador. (7/30)
  Sobre la carencia del personal médico explica que en esta época ha sido superada con la presencia de dos profesionales médicas rurales...
• Una jornada de tensión en Lavalle por la falta de médicos – Los Andes, Argentina. (7/29)
  La organización Tupac Amaru y ATE tomaron el Concejo Deliberante para exigir más médicos en un centro de salud tras la muerte de un nene

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