Health Equity: 05/29/12

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

[EQ] World Health Assembly adopts the Rio Political Declaration on Social Determinants of Health

World Health Assembly adopts the Rio Political Declaration on Social Determinants of Health

World Health Organization, 2012

A resolution endorsing the Rio Political Declaration on Social Determinants of Health (the ’Rio Political Declaration’) was adopted by WHO Member States at the Sixty-fifth World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, Switzerland.

Social determinants of health are the conditions, in which people are born, grow, live and work that affect their health. These conditions are shaped by political, social and economic factors, such as income, literacy and education levels, housing and living conditions, employment and employment security, social exclusion, access to health care, and food safety, and diet.

The resolution

Among others, the resolution COMMITS Member States to:

· Implement the pledges made in the Rio Political Declaration, including in the priority areas:

- Adopt better governance for health and development to tackle the root causes of, and reduce health inequities.

- Promote participation in policy-making and implementation for action on SDH, engaging actors and influencers outside of government, including civil society.

- Further reorient the health sector towards reducing health inequities, including moving towards universal health coverage that is accessible, affordable, and good quality for all.

- Strengthen global governance and collaboration, including coordinated global action on social determinants of health aligned with national government policies and global priorities.

- Monitor progress and increase accountability to inform policies on social determinants of health.

· Develop and support strategies, programmes and action plans that address social determinants of health;

· Support the further development of the Health-in-all-policies approach as a way of promoting health equity;

· Build national capacities among policy makers, health workers, etc. to facilitate implementation of pledges;

· Acknowledge social determinants of health as part of deliberations on sustainable development (including at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development [Rio+20] in June 2012);

CALLS UPON the international community to support implementation on pledges and:

· Support the leading role of WHO in global health governance and promote alignment of policies, plans and activities of all stakeholders on social determinants of health;

· Strengthen international cooperation in promoting health equity in all countries through exchange of expertise and scientific data, and enhancing access to financial resources.

REQUESTS the Director-General of WHO to:

· Consider social determinants of health in the assessment of global needs for health (including in the WHO reform process and WHO’s future work);

· Provide support to Member States in implementing the Rio Political Declaration through health-in-all-policy approaches to address social determinants of health;

· Work closely with other organizations in the United Nations’ system on advocacy, research, capacity-building and technical assistance to Member States for work on social determinants of health.

Rio Political Declaration on Social Determinants of Health http://bit.ly/Js7RM3

Useful links

www.who.int/sdhconference

www.who.int/social_determinants

www.actionsdh.org

Dr Rüdiger Krech - Director, Department of Ethics, Equity, Trade and Human Rights

World Health Organization

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[EQ] Tomorrow Professors Peka Puska - Ilona Kickbusch: Health Promotion SDOH and Sustainable Development: Reflections towards Rio +20 - Online seminar May 30, 2012

XVII SDE Seminar Series towards Rio+20
Sustainable Development and Environmental Health – SDE - PAHO/WHO

Health Promotion, Social Determinants, and Sustainable Development:
Reflections towards Rio +20

Wednesday May 30, 2012 - In English with simultaneous translation to Spanish

Time: 12:00 am - 1:30 pm - EDT (Washington, DC USA) To check your time zone, see the World Clock

Website PAHO/WHO Rio+20 at: http://bit.ly/oxoRdS

“………The process of participation and community empowerment. Health Promotion, starting with the analysis of social determinants, plays a key role in fulfilling the agreements reached at the Global Conference on Sustainable Development. Healthy settings determine the formation of healthy habits and environmental stewardship, not only at the individual level but also collectively. Furthermore, the development of public policies that transcend governmental administrations is key to the sustainability of decisions aimed at strengthening national public health actions.

The Rio +20 Conference provides an opportunity to assess the relationship between health and sustainable development. Supported by a more holistic perception of health in all sectors, this seminar will introduce discussion on the role of promoting social determinants-based health care within the framework of sustainable development.

The proposal is to explore the intersection between the Rio +20 Conference and the Eighth Global Conference on Health Promotion, for the purpose of securing political commitment to sustainable development that gives individuals and communities greater influence over decisions that affect their lives and environment in order to improve their health.

For this reason, we have invited Professor Pekka Puska, considered the Father of Health Promotion, and currently Director General of the National Institute of Health and Welfare of Finland (THL) and Chairman of the Scientific Committee in charge of preparing the World Conference on Health Promotion in Helsinki, set for June 2013, to share with us the core themes of the Global Conference and the concept of Health in All policies.

We have also invited Professor Dr. Ilona Kickbusch, Director of the Global Health Program, Graduate Institute of International Studies and Development (IHEID), Chairman of Global Health Europe, and a member of the scientific committee of the Global Conference on Health Promotion. For many years, Dr. Kickbusch has worked on health promotion from the social determinants perspective and will reflect on the relationship between health promotion, social determinants, and sustainable development…..” Sofialeticia Morales, SDE

Agenda

12:00 Introduction:
Sofialeticia Morales, Moderator
Senior Adviser and Team Coordinator for Health Promotion and Social Determinants of Health PAHO / WHO

12:05 Sustainable Development and Health Promotion
- Towards the Eighth World Conference on Health Promotion in Helsinki

Professor Peka Puska, Director General, National Institute of Health and Welfare of Finland (THL), and Chairman of the Scientific Committee of the VIII World Conference on Health Promotion. He was Director General of Public Health (KTL) and Director for the Prevention of Communicable Diseases of WHO.

12:20 Health Promotion, Social Determinants, and Sustainable Development

Professor Ilona Kickbusch Director of Global Health Program, Graduate Institute of International Studies and Development (IHEID) and Chairman, Global Health Europe is also a member of the Scientific Committee on the Preparation of the Eighth Global Conference on Health Promotion

12:40 Comments from the Moderator

12:45 Debate: Questions and Comments from participants

13:00 Closing Comments

How to participate

In person:
PAHO/WHO
525 23rd ST NW
Washington DC, 20037 Room B – 12h to 13:30h Eastern Time (WDC)

Online: via Elluminate link:

- Spanish room: www.paho.org/virtual/SeminariosSDE

- English room www.paho.org/virtual/SDESeminars

Related material:

Global Atlas on cardiovascular disease prevention and control
Joint Publication of the World Health Organization the World Heart Federation Organization
editors: Shanthi Mendis, Pekka Puska and Bo Norrving
Available online PDF [164p] at: http://bit.ly/mUce0M

Healthy Societies: Addressing 21st Century Health Challenges
Ilona Kickbusch
Available online PDF [62p.] http://bit.ly/MNrdRo

Suggested readings:

WHO – Social Determinants of Health - website: http://bit.ly/mOELYR

VIII Global Health Promotion Conference – Helsinki (June 2013) website: http://bit.ly/LnHJCv

Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (1986): http://bit.ly/LnHMyj
Adelaide Declaration – Health in All Policies (2010): http://bit.ly/9oJoXb

SDE Seminar Series towards Rio+20

For those who cannot follow the live seminar, we will have it available later at PAHO Rio+20 Toolkit at: http://bit.ly/oxoRdS

Air Pollution

No.16 Air Pollution
http://bit.ly/JhXHgJ

Food Security

No 15 Food Security
http://bit.ly/J6S46s

Global Sustainable Development
No.14 Global Sustainable Development and Environmental Health- Joint Discussion with the US Institute of Medicine
http://bit.ly/M4zpwg

Sustainable Development Indicators
No.13 Health at the heart of Sustainable Development Indicators

http://bit.ly/IQGhgE

Economic – social aspects Non Communicable Diseases

No.12 Economic and social aspects of Non Communicable Diseases NCDs

http://bit.ly/IisLCg

Non Communicable Diseases

No.11 Non Communicable Diseases and Sustainable Development

http://bit.ly/JGgnvr

Workers health

No.10 Green Economy /Green Jobs: Health Risks & Benefits
http://bit.ly/IhCwK2

Regional Experiences

No. 9 The Voice and Experience of the Caribbean Islands towards SD
http://bit.ly/HGvKCh

Road Safety

No. 8 Road Safety and Public Transportation towards Sustainable Development:
an agenda for health for Rio+20
http://bit.ly/IS7rAH

Globalization

No. 7 Globalization and Health Equity towards Sustainable Development
http://bit.ly/HJ0PTT

Civil Society

No. 6 The Voices of Civil Society - Creating the Healthy Future
http://bit.ly/HRsJyd

Working Environments
No. 5 Employment and working conditions for Sustainable Development
http://bit.ly/ILtlHE

The Environment

No. 4 Amazon Region: Environment and Health in the Context of Sustainable Development
http://bit.ly/IlMMmK

Climate Change

No. 3 Climate Change and health in the context of Rio+20
http://bit.ly/J7NLFJ

Water

No. 2 Water and Sanitation
http://bit.ly/HP7kGw

Sustainable Development

No. 1 Public Health Challenges
http://bit.ly/Iv3LWW

KMC/2012/SDE
Twitter http://twitter.com/eqpaho

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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]
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[EQ] Save the Children- State of the Worlds Mothers Report

State of the World's Mothers Report

Save the Children – 2012

Available online PDF [70p.] at: http://bit.ly/Lb6Klo

“…….Alarming numbers of mothers and children in developing countries are not getting the nutrition they need.

For mothers, this means less strength and energy for the vitally important activities of daily life. It also means increased risk of death or giving birth to a pre-term, underweight or malnourished infant. For young children, poor nutrition in the early years often means irreversible damage to bodies and minds during the time when both are developing rapidly. And for 2.6 million children each year, hunger kills, with malnutrition leading to death.

This report looks at the critical 1,000-day window of time from the start of a woman’s pregnancy to her child’s second birthday. It highlights proven, low-cost nutrition solutions – like exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months – that can make the difference between life and death for children in developing countries.

It shows how millions of lives can be saved – and whole countries can be bolstered economically – if governments and private donors invest in these basic solutions. As Administrator Shah states persuasively in the Foreword to this report, the economic argument for early nutrition is very strong – the cost to a nation's GDP is significant when kids go hungry early in life…..”

Content:
Executive Summary: Key Findings and Recommendations

Why Focus on the First 1,000 Days?.. .

The Global Malnutrition Crisis

Saving Lives and Building a Better Future: Low-Cost Solutions That Work

• The Lifesaving Six..

• Infant and Toddler Feeding Scorecard.

• Health Workers Are Key to Success

Breastfeeding in the Industrialized World.

Take Action Now.

Appendix: 13th Annual Mothers’ Index and Country Rankings.

Methodology and Research Notes

Endnotes.

KMC/2012/FCH
Twitter http://twitter.com/eqpaho

* * *
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]
Washington DC USA

Thank you.

[EQ] Equity in financing and use of health care - implications for paths to universal coverage

Equity in financing and use of health care in
Ghana, South Africa, and Tanzania: implications for paths to universal coverage

Anne Mills, John E Ataguba, James Akazili, Jo Borghi, Bertha Garshong, Suzan Makawia, Gemini Mtei, Bronwyn Harris, Jane Macha, Filip Meheus,
Di McIntyre
The Lancet, 15 May 2012doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60357-2

Website: http://bit.ly/LxttYa

“…..Universal coverage of health care is now receiving substantial worldwide and national attention, but debate continues on the best mix of financing mechanisms, especially to protect people outside the formal employment sector. Crucial issues are the equity implications of different financing mechanisms, and patterns of service use. We report a whole-system analysis—integrating both public and private sectors—of the equity of health-system financing and service use in Ghana, South Africa, and Tanzania….”

Methods

We used primary and secondary data to calculate the progressivity of each health-care financing mechanism, catastrophic spending on health care, and the distribution of health-care benefits. We collected qualitative data to inform interpretation.

Findings

Overall health-care financing was progressive in all three countries, as were direct taxes. Indirect taxes were regressive in South Africa but progressive in Ghana and Tanzania. Out-of-pocket payments were regressive in all three countries. Health-insurance contributions by those outside the formal sector were regressive in both Ghana and Tanzania. The overall distribution of service benefits in all three countries favoured richer people, although the burden of illness was greater for lower-income groups. Access to needed, appropriate services was the biggest challenge to universal coverage in all three countries.

Interpretation

Analyses of the equity of financing and service use provide guidance on which financing mechanisms to expand, and especially raise questions over the appropriate financing mechanism for the health care of people outside the formal sector. Physical and financial barriers to service access must be addressed if universal coverage is to become a reality.

Funding European Union and International Development Research Centre…..”

KMC/2012/HSS
Twitter http://twitter.com/eqpaho

* * *
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]
Washington DC USA

Thank you.