Friday, January 29, 2010

[EQ] The Global Health System: Lessons for a Stronger Institutional Framework

The Global Health System: Lessons for a Stronger Institutional Framework

Suerie Moon1*, Nicole A. Szleza´k1, Catherine M. Michaud2, Dean T. Jamison3, Gerald T. Keusch4, William C. Clark1, Barry R. Bloom5

1 Sustainability Science Program, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA,
2 Harvard Initiative for Global Health, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA,
3 Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA,
4 Global Health Initiative, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
5 Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

PLoS Med 7(1): e1000193. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000193 - Published January 26, 2010
Academic Editor: Gill Walt, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom

Available online at: http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000193

“…….The global health system is in a period of rapid transition, with an upsurge of funds and greater political recognition, a broader range of health challenges, many new actors, and the rules, norms and expectations that govern them in flux. The introductory article of this series (Szleza´k et al. [1]) laid out some of the many challenges facing the global health system.

This system is defined as the constellation of actors (individuals and/or organizations) ‘‘whose primary purpose is to promote, restore or maintain health [2]’’ and ‘‘the persistent and connected sets of rules (formal or informal), that prescribe behavioral roles, constrain activity, and shape expectation [3]’’ among these actors.

The second article (Frenk [4]) defined the key attributes of national health systems as a core component of the global system. The third article (Keusch et al. [5]) analyzed the institutional evolution of one of the system’s most important functions—the integration of research, development, and delivery…..”

The Global Health System: Actors, Norms, and Expectations in Transition

Szleza´k NA, Bloom BR, Jamison DT, Keusch GT, Michaud CM, et al. (2010)
PLoS Med 7: e1000183. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000183.

The Global Health System: Strengthening National Health Systems as the Next Step for Global Progress.
Frenk J (2010)
PLoS Med 7(1): e1000089. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000089.

The Global Health System: Linking Knowledge with Action—Learning from Malaria.
Keusch GT, Kilama WL, Moon S, Szlezak NA, Michaud CM (2010)
PLoS Med 7(1): e1000193. doi:10.1371/ journal.pmed.1000193.

* * *
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
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues. [DD/ KMC Area]

“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.
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[EQ] Meeting the Demand for Results and Accountability: A Call for Action on Health Data from Eight Global Health Agencies

Meeting the Demand for Results and Accountability:
A Call for Action on Health Data from Eight Global Health Agencies

Margaret Chan1*, Michel Kazatchkine2, Julian Lob-Levyt3, Thoraya Obaid4, Julian Schweizer5, Michel Sidibe6, Ann Veneman7, Tadataka Yamada8

1 World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland,
2 Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Geneva, Switzerland,
3 Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), Geneva, Switzerland,
4 United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), New York, New York, USA,
5 Human Development Network, World Bank, Washington, D.C., USA,
6 Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Geneva, Switzerland,
7 United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), New York, New York, USA,
8 Global Health Program, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, Washington, USA

PLoS Med 7(1): e1000223. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000223 Published January 26, 2010

Available online at: http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000223

“……Recent substantial increases in international attention to health have been accompanied by demands for statistics that accurately track health progress and performance, evaluate the impact of health programs and policies, and increase accountability at country and global levels.

The use of results-based financing mechanisms by major global donors has created further demand for timely and reliable data for decision-making. In addition, there is increasing country demand for data in the context of health sector strategic plans, including in countries that have established International Health Partnership (IHP+) compacts [1].

In spite of recognized efforts by programs and countries, the ability to respond to this demand is constrained by limited data availability, quality, and use. Many developing countries have limitations that hamper the production of data of sufficient quality and timeliness to permit regular tracking of progress made in scaling up and strengthening health systems. Data gaps span across the range of input, output, outcome, and impact indicators.

New ways of working and a more systematic approach by all partners are needed to better monitor and evaluate progress and performance….”

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[EQ] Health Disparities Calculator - Health Data Tools and Statistics

**Health Disparities Calculator (HD*Calc)**
Latest Release: Version 1.1.0 - January 13, 2010
Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)

Statistical software designed to generate multiple summary measures to evaluate and monitor health disparities (HD).

Available online at: http://seer.cancer.gov/hdcalc/index.html

“…..This application extends the work published in the National Cancer Institute Surveillance Monograph Series entitled
Methods for Measuring Cancer Disparities, which evaluates measures of health disparities included in HD*Calc. The monograph discusses major issues that may affect the choice of summary measures of disparity and systematically reviews methods used in health disparities research.
Methods for Measuring Cancer Disparities is recommended for those unfamiliar with the measures available in HD*Calc or interested in a
comparative summary of available measures of health disparities (PDF).

A second monograph:
Selected Comparisons of Measures of Health Disparities: A Review Using Databases Relevant to Healthy People 2010 Cancer-Related Objectives,
uses case studies to analyze the performance and appropriateness of various measures of health disparities.,……’

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Thursday, January 28, 2010

[EQ] Rethinking Poverty - UN Report on the World Social Situation (RWSS)

Rethinking Poverty

UN Report on the World Social Situation (RWSS) 2010

Available online at: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/rwss/2010.html

“ the report seeks to contribute to rethinking poverty and its eradication. It affirms the urgent need for a strategic shift away from the market fundamentalist thinking, policies and practices of recent decades towards more sustainable development- and equity-oriented policies appropriate to national conditions and circumstances. ….”

The Report makes a compelling case for rethinking poverty and poverty-reduction efforts, saying that over-reliance on market forces and economic liberalization have led to neglect of nationally designed and developmentally-oriented strategies, to the detriment of the world’s poor. The most important lesson, according is that governments need to play a developmental role, integrating economic and social policies that support inclusive output and employment growth, while attacking inequality and promoting justice…..”

Content

Executive Summary

Full Report

Chapters of the Report

Preface
Chapter I: Rethinking poverty: which way now?
Chapter II: Poverty: the official numbers
Chapter III: The poverty of poverty measurement
Chapter IV: Deprivation, vulnerability and exclusion
Chapter V: Macroeconomic policies and poverty reduction
Chapter VI: Economic liberalization and poverty reduction
Chapter VII: Labour-market and social policies and poverty reduction
Chapter VIII: Poverty reduction programmes
Chapter IX: Rethinking poverty reduction interventions

Bibliography

Key Points

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Wednesday, January 27, 2010

[EQ] An anatomy of economic inequality in the UK

An anatomy of economic inequality in the UK

Report of the National Equality Panel – January 2010
Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion
The London School of Economics and Political Science

Full report [4 MB] Note: This is a large file and may take some time to download.

Please click on the link below to be directed to the National Equality Panel research reports:

· An Anatomy of Economic Inequaltiy in th UK: Report of the National Equality Panel (Jan 2010)

· An Anatomy of Economic Inequaltiy in th UK: Summary (Jan 2010)

· Report of the National Equality Panel: Executive Summary (Jan 2010)

· Charts and Statistical Annex (Jan 2010)

“…..The National Equality Panel was set up to document the relationships between inequalities in people’s economic outcomes – such as earnings, incomes and wealth – and their characteristics and circumstances – such as gender, age or ethnicity. How does who you are affect the resources and opportunities available to you?

We map out in detail what these relationships look like in a way never done before. In this summary we bring together the key findings from our main report, and the challenges they create for the development of policy. There are several over-arching themes:

• Inequalities in earnings and incomes are high in Britain, both compared with other industrialised countries, and compared with thirty years ago. Over the most recent decade according to some measures, earnings inequality has narrowed a little and income inequality has stabilised, but the large inequality growth between the late 1970s and early 1990s has not been reversed.

• Some of the widest gaps in outcomes between social groups have narrowed in the last decade, particularly between the earnings of women and men, and in the educational qualifications of different ethnic groups.

• However, there remain deep-seated and systematic differences in economic outcomes between social groups across all of the dimensions we have examined – including between men and women, between different ethnic groups, between social class groups, between those living in disadvantaged and other areas, and between London and other parts of the country………….”

Content
Foreword

• Overview

• Aims

• Overall inequalities

• The position of different groups

• (a) Gender

• (b) Age

• (c) Ethnicity and religious affiliation

• (d) Disability status

• (e) Sexual orientation

• (f) Occupational social class

• (g) The impact of social background

• (h) Housing tenure

• (i) Nation and region

• (j) Area deprivation

• Summary

• Challenges for policy

• References

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[EQ] Protecting health from climate change: connecting science, policy and people.

Protecting health from climate change: connecting science, policy and people

World Health Organization 2009

Available online PDF [36p.] at: http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2009/9789241598880_eng.pdf

“……….All populations will be affected by a changing climate, but the initial health risks vary greatly, depending on where and how people live. People living in small island developing states and other coastal regions, megacities, and mountainous and polar regions are all particularly vulnerable in different ways.

Health effects are expected to be more severe for elderly people and people with infirmities or pre-existing medical conditions. The groups who are likely to bear most of the resulting disease burden are children and the poor, especially women. The major diseases that are most sensitive to climate change – diarrhoea, vector-borne diseases like malaria, and infections associated with undernutrition – are most serious in children living in poverty………”

The diverse, widespread, long-term and inequitable distribution of health risks makes climate change a truly global challenge, calling for an unprecedented degree of partnership. An effective response will require actions from across society: from individuals, the health sector, as well as community and political leaders. This requires a sharing of responsibilities between the populations that make the greatest contribution to climate change and those that are most vulnerable to its effects, in order to safeguard and enhance global public health security. The skills, capacities and shared values of the public health community can make an important contribution to a fair and effective response to climate change…..”

Summary

WHAT ARE THE RISKS?

1. Climate change: past and future

2. Climate and it s impact on the fundamentals of health

3. “Natural” disasters: the growing influence of climate change on heatwaves, floods, droughts and storms

4. Changing patterns of infection

5. Long-term stresses: water shortages, malnutrition, displacement and conflict

WHO IS AT RISK?

6. Vulnerable regions: exposed populations

7. Children: life-long exposure to health risks from climate change

8. The most vulnerable: they support the greatest health burdens

9. All of us: our shared health security

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?

10. Putting health at the heart of the climate change agenda

11. Strengthening public health systems

12. Choosing healthy paths to a low-carbon future

13. Mobilizing the strength of the health community

References

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Tuesday, January 26, 2010

[EQ] Price indexes, inequality, and the measurement of world poverty

Price indexes, inequality, and the measurement of world poverty

Angus Deaton, Princeton University

January 17th, 2010

Available online PDF [61p.] at: http://bit.ly/8KmBrH

“…………I discuss the measurement of world poverty and inequality, with particular attention to the role of PPP price indexes from the International Comparison Project. Global inequality increased with the latest revision of the ICP, and this reduced the global poverty line relative to the US dollar. The recent large increase of nearly half a billion globally poor people came from an inappropriate updating of the global poverty line, not from the ICP International Comparison Project revisions. Even so, PPP comparisons between widely different countries rest on weak theoretical and foundations.

I argue for wider use of self-reports from international monitoring surveys, and for a global poverty line that is truly denominated in US dollars. ……..” (au)

Purchasing Power Parities (PPPs)

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