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The Lancet : essential medicines out of reach of most people

HEALTH ACTION INTERNATIONAL (HAI)
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
December 2008

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The lead article of this edition of the WHO and HAI medicines pricing survey quarterly bulletin picks up on an article published in the Lancet which highlights the financial burden faced by many people living in low and middle income countries when having to pay for essential medicines

Human rights, health and poverty reduction strategies

ANDREA, Penelope
FERGUSSON, Clare
December 2008

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This resource seeks to strengthen efforts to achieve the MDGs by helping policymakers incorporate human rights into the design and implementation of the health component of national poverty reduction strategies (PRSs)

UN MDG gap task force report

HEALTH ACTION INTERNATIONAL (HAI)
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
September 2008

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Making essential medicines more affordable and more widely available are essential in helping to meet the millennium development goals. The lead article of this edition of HAI and WHO's medicines pricing survey bulletin, looks at UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon's response to a mid-term progress report from the MDG Gap Task Force

Progress report

INTERNATIONAL HEALTH PARTNERSHIP AND RELTATED INITIATIVES (IHP+)
May 2008

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This report highlights the progress of the first eight International Health Partnership+ signatory countries. It provides an analytical review of country progress against Millennium Development Goal indicators, and considers health financing trends, noting key bottlenecks at the global and country levels. It further highlights progress at the global level, provides updates from inter-agency working groups, and summarises key challenges in moving forward

Counterfeit drugs kill

INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL PRODUCTS ANTI-COUNTERFEITING TASKFORCE (IMPACT)
May 2008

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This leaflet describes how counterfeit medicines may endanger people's health because their quality is unpredictable. It also considers the challenges faced in combating counterfeit medicines and the role of the IMPACT coalition

Older people in emergencies : considerations for action and policy development

HUTTON, David
2008

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This analysis highlights factors that particularly affect older people in emergencies, especially health-related concerns. It also proposes a strategy to raise awareness about older people in emergencies, and recommends policies and practices to address these considerations. It sets out objectives for the three phases of an emergency response: the preparedness phase; the emergency response and operations phase; and the recovery and transition phase

Measuring medicine prices, availability, affordability and price components

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
HEALTH ACTION INTERNATIONAL (HAI)
2008

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This manual is to help governments, civil society groups and others concerned about the prices of medicines to collect and analyse: medicine prices (patient prices and government procurement prices) across sectors and regions in a country; medicine availability; treatment affordability; and all price components in the supply chain from manufacturer to patient (taxes, mark-ups etc.). It is accompanied by a CD-ROM which contains a more extensive collection resources and tools, such as sample training materials, frequently asked questions, and a report template for use in developing national survey reports

Towards universal access : scaling up priority HIV/AIDS interventions in the health sector : progress report 2008

WORLD HEALTH ORGNAIZATION (WHO)
JOINT UNITED NATIONS PROGRAMME ON HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND (UNICEF)
2008

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This report provides in-depth information on: treatment and care for people living with HIV; HIV testing and counselling; health sector interventions for HIV prevention; scaling up HIV services for women and children; strengthening health systems and health information; and towards universal access as the way forward

Task shifting : rational redistribution of tasks among health workforce teams : global recommendations and guidelines

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
2008

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These guidelines and 22 recommendations are designed to support for countries that face a high HIV burden and acute shortages within the health workforce. Task shifting involves the rational redistribution of tasks among health workforce teams. Specific tasks are moved, where appropriate, from highly qualified health workers to health workers with shorter training and fewer qualifications in order to make more efficient use of the available human resources for health. The key elements that must be in place if the approach is to prove safe, efficient, effective, equitable and sustainable, cover the need for consultation, situation analysis and national endorsement, and for an enabling regulatory framework. They specify the quality assurance mechanisms, including standardised training, supportive supervision, and certification and assessment, that will be important to ensure quality of care

Closing the gap in a generation : health equity through action on the social determinants of health|Final report of the Commission on the Social Determinants of Health

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
2008

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This is the final report of the World Health Organization’s Commission on the Social Determinants of Health (2005-2008). The report gives three main recommendations: 1 improve daily living conditions 2. Tackle the inequitable distribution of power, money, and resources 3. Measure and understand the problem and assess the impact of action. The Commission was created to provide evidence on policies that improve health by addressing the social conditions in which people live and work. The report is addressed to WHO, national governments, civil society, and other global organizations

Guidelines on the provision of manual wheelchairs in less resourced settings

ARMSTRONG, William
et al
2008

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These guidelines are designed to promote personal mobility and enhance the quality of life of wheelchair users. The aim is to assist Member States in developing a system of wheelchair provision that is consistent with the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Chapter topics includes: design and production, service delivery, training, and policy planning

Manual for the health care of children in humanitarian emergencies

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
2008

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These guidelines are to assist in the care of children in emergencies. They are designed to serve as a reference manual for the evaluation and management of children in emergencies, and as the basis for the training of health care workers. The target audience is first level health workers who provide care to children under the age of 5 years. Physicians and health care workers with more advanced training are referred to the WHO Pocket Book of Hospital Care for Children: Guidelines for the Management of Common Illnesses with Limited Resources (2005)

Older persons in emergencies : an active ageing perspective

PLOUFFE, Louise
2008

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This report considers the contribution that older people can make during natural or conflict-related emergencies and in reconstruction phases. It describes the converging trends of rapid growth of the population over 60 years of age and of health emergencies, and outlines the resulting challenges. It then outlines the basic elements of emergency planning, drawing on case studies to identify the impacts of these situations on older people; it looks at the WHO Active Ageing policy framework; and offers a policy response

Indicators for assessing infant and young child feeding practices : part 1, definitions|Conclusions of a consensus meeting held 6-8 November 2007 in Washington, DC, USA

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
2008

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This publication defines indicators that could be used to revise those outlined in the document 'Indicators for assessing breastfeeding practices', published in 1991. This document provided a set of indicators that could be used to assess infant feeding within and across countries and evaluate the progress of breastfeeding promotion efforts

Guidelines on policies that affect medicine prices

HEALTH ACTION INTERNATIONAL (HAI)
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION(WHO)
2008

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At a time when over 50 medicines pricing surveys had been completed around the world using the HAI/WHO methodology, the lead article to this edition of the medicines pricing survey bulletin considers the need for guidelines to assist in the creation of policy changes that will help to reduce the price of essential medicines

The Kampala declaration and agenda for global action

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
GLOBAL HEALTH WORKFORCE ALLIANCE
2008

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This resource contains both the Kampala declaration and an agenda for global action to "guide the initial steps in a coordinated global, regional and national response to the worldwide shortage and mal-distribution of health workers, moving towards universal access to quality health care and improved health outcomes. It is meant to unite and intensify the political will and commitments necessary for significant and effective actions to resolve this crisis, and to align efforts of all stakeholders at all levels around solutions"

World health report 2008|Primary health care : now more than ever

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
2008

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This report considers four sets of reforms that reflect a convergence between the values of primary health care, the expectations of citizens and the common health performance challenges that cut across all contexts. These include: universal coverage reforms, service delivery reforms, public policy reforms, and leadership reforms. "While universally applicable, these reforms do not constitute a blueprint or a manifesto for action. The details required to give them life in each country must be driven by specific conditions and contexts, drawing on the best available evidence"

Interagency list of essential medical devices for reproductive health

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
et al
2008

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This interagency list is a tool to support planning for the selection, quality assurance and procurement of medical devices to implement Maternal and Newborn Health (MNH) interventions, which are defined as the "Essential care to women and their newborn during pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal period: up to six weeks after delivery." The objective is to propose an international consensus on a rational selection of essential medical devices for reproductive health according to their public health relevance based on efficacy, safety and cost effectiveness. Published by the WHO on behalf of John Snow Inc., PATH, Population Action International, United Nations Population Fund, and the World Bank, in collaboration with the United Nations Children's Fund and Medecins Sans Frontieres. The WHO and partnering organisations plan to update this list every two years

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