News Flash 448: Weekly Snapshot of Public Health Challenges

News Flash Links, as part of the research project PEAH (Policies for Equitable Access to Health), aim to focus on the latest challenges by trade and governments rules to equitable access to health in resource-limited settings

News Flash 448

Weekly Snapshot of Public Health Challenges

 

Webinar Registration THE ROAD TO 2023: KICKOFF TO THE HIGH-LEVEL MEETING ON UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE Gaps, Challenges, and Opportunities to Accelerate Progress on UHC High-Level Side Event on the Margins of the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly Sep 30, 2021 14:00 Geneva (08:00 New York)

Webinar “Building back better healthcare systems – Lessons from the WBG’s COVID-19 response and recovery plans” organised as part of the World Bank’s Civil Society Policy Forum (CSPF) – 2021 Annual meeting. 6 October 2021, 4.00 – 5.30pm (CET) / 10.00 – 11.30 (DC)

GLOBAL HEALTH CENTRE: DIGITAL HEALTH AND RIGHTS: PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT

NEW TECHNOLOGIES: WHAT IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH AND HUMAN RIGHTS?

HEALTH SECURITY & EQUITY: A PUBLIC PRIORITY POSITION PAPER ON THE IDA20 POLICY FRAMEWORK FROM A HEALTH PERSPECTIVE

World Bank Launches Early IDA20 Replenishment to Help Poorest Countries Recover from the COVID-19 Crisis

Do we need a pandemic treaty? A CSO perspective. Preliminary findings of a G2H2 study Webinar on 25 October 2021, 16.00-17.30 CEST

A guide to a pandemic treaty: Things you must know to help you make a decision on a pandemic treaty

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Weekly Update

U.S. FDA clears Pfizer COVID-19 booster dose for older and at-risk Americans

Health Brief: Booster shots. Not if, but when

EMA evaluating data on booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine Spikevax

Access to Corona Vaccination only for the Rich by Christiane Fischer

Takeaways from the White House COVID Summit: Ending this Pandemic and Preparing for the Next

HRC48- Panel Discussion on the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the realization of human rights

On new recommendation for treatment of COVID-19 patients: WHO calls for equitable access to casirivimab and imdevimab for COVID-19

Newest COVID-19 treatment recommended by WHO must be made accessible to everyone who needs it

“Eradicating Polio: What more Is Needed?” FREE LIVE WEBINAR Tue, 12 October, 2021 | 10:00 – 11:00 (CEST) Participation is FREE, but registration is mandatory.

Webinar registration Workshop on HIV, Hepatitis C and Tuberculosis in Eastern Europe and Central Asia Nov 11, 2021 12:00 PM in Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna

L’eliminazione dell’epatite virale

WHO Launches First Global Strategy to Eliminate Bacterial Meningitis by 2030

Progress on vaccinating against meningitis is too slow, says WHO

Transatlantic Taskforce continues international fight against antimicrobial resistance

Public Education Works – LAUNCH of new study

32 New Findings from the Global Education RISE Conference 2021: Parents, Politics, and the Pandemic—Plus the Education Interventions People Would Trash

Seizing the Post-Pandemic Opportunity to Transform Food Systems

Over 2 million people in Kenya face acute hunger due to drought, warns IRC

Children set for more climate disasters than their grandparents, research shows

GI-ESCR and partners call on the European Court of Human Rights to ensure the protection of communities facing greater risks due to the climate crisis

Launch of the multi-stakeholder Gender and Energy Compact at the High-Level Dialogue on Energy

Joint Statement calling for the establishment of a Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Climate Change

COP26: Australia PM undecided on attending crucial climate summit

ODI: Think change: The Airport Tracker: uncovering aviation emissions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Access to Corona Vaccination only for the Rich

As per UN Secretary General Guterres: "Nobody is safe from COVID 19 until everyone has had a vaccination offer".

Disappointingly, while the global need is very large, the main amount of vaccine is accumulated in very few and very rich states, which make up only 13% of the world's population but has reserved more than half of the global vaccine doses. Many poor countries go away completely empty-handed

By Dr. med. Christiane Fischer

Chairwoman of the PHM Germany

Access to Corona Vaccination only for the Rich

 

An application to the World Trade Organization (WTO), submitted by South Africa and India and supported by more than 100 other member states, is intended to facilitate the production of and access to vaccines for the time of the pandemic, but is currently blocked by a few countries including Germany.

Amazingly, the Biden government supports the proposal. The reaction of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, must also be assessed in this sense: Since the pandemic represents a threat to all of humanity, individual commercial interests must take second place. The expressed readiness to discuss the proposal must lead to a constructive participation in the negotiations in the World Trade Organization (WTO)!

Above all, the governments of the rich countries in the WTO have over the past few months blocked the proposal. The proposal was supported by more than 100 economically disadvantaged countries, to suspend patents and other intellectual property rights for all pandemic control technologies for the duration of the pandemic.

Monopoly rights, including patents, represent shackles that restrict the free and quick action of all actors who want to get involved in the provision of vaccines, drugs, diagnostics or protective materials. It is imperative to remove any barriers to the global production and distribution of vaccines and other relevant medical devices.

The negotiations within the framework of the WTO must therefore be brought to a conclusion without delay or legal gimmicks. This must apply to vaccines as well as to all aids required to cope with the pandemic. Rich states like Germany in particular must take responsibility for the well-being of humanity and, by renouncing patents, make an active contribution to global vaccine distribution based on global demand! While the global need is very large, the main amount of vaccine is accumulated in very few and very rich states, which make up only 13% of the world’s population but has reserved more than half of the global vaccine doses. Many poor countries go away completely empty-handed.

But the pandemic will only be over when everyone can get vaccinated. UN Secretary General António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres emphasizes this by saying: “Nobody is safe from COVID 19 until everyone has had a vaccination offer” and warns against vaccine nationalism. In order to achieve a fair distribution, all the hurdles that stand in the way of effectively overcoming the pandemic must be overcome: Exclusive rights of use (patents), scientific data and technical know-how. They must be shared with all qualified actors, e.g. in a patent pool for COVID technologies (C-TAP).

The People’s Health Movement

The PHM aims to implement the Alma-Ata Declaration, in which the World Health Organization (WHO) wanted to achieve Health for All by the year 2000 in 1978.

Social, psychological and physical well-being is linked to corresponding political, socio-economic and ecological conditions. The highest possible state of health therefore includes global health, access to medicines, health services and measures to combat the climate crisis. Universal human rights are the ethical basis of our actions. They take precedence over economic interests and contracts.

The human right to the highest possible state of health is listed in Section 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in Section 12 and Section 15 of the International Covenant for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and is laid down in other international human rights treaties. According to the binding UN interpretation, this includes the right of access to essential medicines, health care and research results. The PHM Germany is a national German-speaking group (Circle).

Further information: https://phmovement.de

As a non-profit association, we are happy to accept donations and issue a donation receipt: IBAN: DE 98 6725 0020 0009 3168 41 BIC: SOLADES1HDB All natural (individuals) and legal (associations) persons can join: https://phmovement.de/beitreten/ Membership is free. We would be pleased if you would support the work of the association with your donation.

Dr. med. Christiane Fischer is chairwoman of the PHM Germany.

Contact: Hohegasse 1, 69181 Leimen; Email: fischer@phmovement.de

 

————————-

By the same Author on PEAH

Action Alliance “Training 2020” – An Alliance for Independent Continuing Medical Education by Christiane Fischer

Corrupt Medical Practices in Germany by Christiane Fisher

 

News Flash 447: Weekly Snapshot of Public Health Challenges

News Flash Links, as part of the research project PEAH (Policies for Equitable Access to Health), aim to focus on the latest challenges by trade and governments rules to equitable access to health in resource-limited settings

News Flash 447

Weekly Snapshot of Public Health Challenges

 

From food insecurity to the UN’s future: What we’re watching at the UNGA 

Meeting Registration: Reclaiming Public Health – Experiences & Insights from Europe Sep 29, 2021 02:30 PM in Brussels

High Level Dialogue: TRIPS Waiver – Challenges & Opportunities

2021 State of the Union Address by President von der Leyen

State of the European Union: More hollow promises about a global COVID-19 vaccine equity?

European Health Emergency preparedness and Response Authority (HERA): Getting ready for future health emergencies

We don’t have to fly blind into the next pandemic

What is the missing ingredient in global pandemic preparedness and response?

How Parents Can Support Kids’ Mental Health During COVID-19

Equipping Health Workers on the Front Lines With Adaptable COVID-19 Digital Resources

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Weekly Update

FDA panel votes against Pfizer’s Covid-19 booster jab application

COVID-19 vaccine alliance chair: African political leadership lacking

Opinion | Booster Shots Would Be Better Spent Saving African Lives

Africa hinges hopes for COVID-19 vaccine equity on US

How Manila is using its COVID-19 response to find TB patients

Now we know: typhoid conjugate vaccines are highly effective in African children

The quality of medical products for cardiovascular diseases: a gap in global cardiac care

The Medicines Patent Pool secures its first licence on promising long-acting technologies for malaria, tuberculosis, and hepatitis C

Interview to Dr. Trudy Masembe, CINTA Foundation Uganda by Daniele Dionisio 

Taliban ban girls from secondary education in Afghanistan

One million Nigerian children to miss school due to mass kidnappings, UNICEF says

White House, House Homeland Security chair denounce “horrific” mistreatment of Haitian migrants by Border Patrol officers

New bulletin on health: People’s Health Dispatch

WHO/ILO: Almost 2 million people die from work-related causes each year

MEPs prod Commission to chart animal testing phase out

The Corporate Capture of the UN Food Summit

World’s two largest economies commit to climate action – Guterres

Close to the edge: Climate Change: Focus on Africa, Asia and Coastal Poor

Climate pledges tough to secure before COP26 summit, PM warns

Rich countries not providing poor with pledged climate finance, analysis says

EU, US urge others to join methane reduction pledge

Call for Emergency Action to Limit Global Temperature Increases, Restore Biodiversity, and Protect Health

Over 200 companies pledge net-zero emissions by 2040 as pressure on private sector mounts

Germany: Five Areas for COP and G7 Climate and Development Leadership

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interview: Dr. Trudy Masembe, CINTA Foundation Uganda

CINTA Foundation – Uganda is a Kampala based Non-Government 0rganization founded in 2014 and registered in 2015, registration No. 11351. CINTA core programs include education support, skills training, economic empowerment and reproductive health& HIV/AIDS. Currently, the Foundation is operating in regions of Central and Eastern Uganda. 

In this connection, PEAH had the pleasure to interview CINTA Executive Director Dr. Gertrude Masembe

 By Daniele Dionisio

PEAH – Policies for Equitable Access to Health

 Interview

  Dr. Gertrude Masembe*

Executive Director, CINTA Foundation

Kampala, Uganda 

 

PEAH: Dr. Masembe, CINTA Foundation is an NGO working with implementation of core programs such as education support, skills training, economic empowerment and reproductive health& HIV/AIDS. Tell us more, please, around CINTA story and profile.

Masembe: CINTA Foundation Uganda is a registered Non-Government Organization (NGO), implementing activities in various districts of the country. Our vision is “Empowered communities for holistic development” and all programs and hinged on this. Participatory approaches, developing community resource pools and implementing impact based projects for continued sustainability are the main pillars of our work.

The organization was founded by two women, Trudy (Gertrude) and Christine, who had earlier worked with NGOs in various parts of the country implementing and managing community, based projects at  grass root levels. After their official tenure of work they both agreed that they needed to continue working with communities to help address their problems/challenges something they were passionate about. This is how CINTA Foundation Uganda was born, officially registered in 2015 and now looking forward to its 6th anniversary.

Under our education support component we supplement government efforts of ensuring achievement of Social Development Goal No. 4 of “Inclusive and equitable quality education”.  Our programs provide for capacity building of teachers for improved methods of teaching and children performance while reduced absenteeism and increased children participation are achieved through provision of scholastic materials, supplementing feeding programs and sanitary -pad provision for girls.

The program is enriched with mentorship and career guidance for students and it’s during these sessions that we are able to create awareness about Sexual Reproductive Health issues and HIV/AIDS. During these dialogues/ sessions, we focus on Identifying challenges adolescents are likely to face, type of required support, sensitizing about myths and realities about SRH and Menstrual Hygiene management.

CINTA-Uganda also realizes that achievement and sustainability of long term impact goals in communities would be impossible without a multi-pronged approached that embraces skills development, financial support, business management training and establishment of market networks. It’s for this reason that community economic empowerment is taken as the core program, a building block for many of our achievements. This is done with a gender bias because women have been proven to be pivotal points of development and many advantages like education for children, reduced domestic violence, increased participation of women indecision making and overall quality of life have their bearing on increased incomes.

PEAHDr. Masembe, recent achievements by CINTA Foundation include, as declared, pad distribution, skills development for Kawuga Women’s Group, education support, as well as staff capacity building. Can you explain in detail?

Masembe: The organization over the past 5 years has made great strides in terms of achievements in the districts of operation. SRH was our flagship project and to date we have distributed over 3,500 kits of re-usable pads to adolescent girls in Mayuge, Iganga, Mukono and Kayunga districts to ensure they don’t skip school because of lack of sanitary provisions. Over 4,500 adolescents in these districts mainly in secondary schools have benefited from our SRH dialogues and can now handle a number of adolescent challenges and practice proper menstrual hygiene.

These dialogues have been supplemented with career guidance and mentorship sessions to help align learners to their desired goals for the future. In this regard, we are grateful to the Rotaract clubs of Nakawa and Natette that partnered with us to reach out to students in Jinja under their Kakuba Literacy program and outreaches at Kiswa Community Children’s Center.

Another area of intervention has been education support, a program under which we build the capacity of teachers and provide scholastic materials to children and supplemented their school feeding programs for better attendance and performance. Under this arrangement we have worked with Natetta Primary school, Kiswa Community Children center and individual primary school learners in Iganga district.

For the success of our programs, it is critical to have communities supported to increase their incomes so they can independently carry the mantle of family provision and support. It’s for this reason that we partnered with Krochet4Life and trained two (2) women’s group including Kawuga Women’s Group in production of sandal parts for increased household income. CINTA- Uganda after training the beneficiaries provided materials and linked them to buying company for continued production and market. However, it goes without saying that families too need support for basic requirements especially those trapped in the poverty cycle and at stages of fending for survival. This is a story for Katanga Slum Dwellers who could hardly feed their families. CINTA –UG in partners with Christ our Sure Foundation provided home use materials to families to help them cope with life and sustain their children.

Despite the achievements, CINTA-UG faces some challenges with the evolving NGO approaches both in fundraising and project implementation. This calls for continuous capacity building to enable us stay afloat amidst fierce competition for grants and professional staff. It’s therefore with great appreciation that I write about Front Runners League (USA headed by Mary Kurek which offered capacity building for our staff. As a funder, they carefully analyzed each of the staffs challenges and roadmap for better performance and provided mentors with specialties where we had need for training to improve service delivery. Despite the fact that it was a short term arrangement of three months, we can ably say we greatly benefited from this venture.

PEAHOn this wavelength, what about CINTA main purpose?

Masembe: CINTA Uganda’s main purpose is to have “Empowered communities for self-reliance”. This calls for holistic development approaches by not only training beneficiaries and providing financial and education support but also developing capacity within communities so they can continue to handle their own development agenda. Core to our approach is focusing on impact and sustainability as opposed to figures in terms of achievement. 

PEAHIn depth, as regards CINTA activities and approach to sexual and reproductive health issues and strategies of avoiding gender-based violence?

Masembe: True, there was reported Gender Based Violence (GBV) in schools and surprisingly the male gender was equally affected in communities of operation. Many programs have placed great emphasis on the girl child but evidence from our field work suggests boys need to be given equal attention when handling gender based violence. We have therefore brought on board some male volunteers with specialty in handling gender based violence to attend to the matters male students. We also got some literature from World Health Organization (WHO) and Ministry of Health (MoH) to help us address this issue.

To drive our resource pool development agenda, the organization during its outreaches works together with “senior women & men” mandated to handle SRH issues in schools. This helps them build capacity to ably handle both gender based violence and SRH issues among adolescents in a school environment. In the near future we are looking at interfacing with UNICEF so they can work hand in hand with other grass root organizations to address this issue.

At organization level, we are strict about ethics when it comes to conducting office business and have a set of guidelines and rules to be followed by any person employed to work with CINTA-UG as a way of ensuring that GBV issues don’t occur. 

 PEAHAll of this takes into close consideration the devastating effects of COVID-19 pandemic to the lives of the young generation in Uganda, as just stressed in your last article on PEAH. Some additional reflections about? 

Masembe: As earlier highlighted many girls have fallen prey to sexual activity at a young age as they endure long periods out of school and a number transitioned into young mothers. Boys on the hand have resorted to petty jobs for income which greatly affects the mindset of any young child still following through their academic journey. There is therefore need to rebuild social support systems and offer psycho social support to these children if they are to become beneficial members of the communities. It’s also inevitable that vocational skills training is strengthened and promoted to absorb those unable to rejoin the education system but willing to get new skills so they can engage in profitable Income Generating Activities. 

PEAHDoes CINTA work together with national and/or international partners?

Masembe: CINTA Foundation Uganda partners with National Women Council (NWC), a national body mandated to spearhead empowerment of women in Uganda. NWC offers technical support to enable us achieve impact in our programs and sometimes partners with us for smooth delivery of community services. We also appreciate AfriPads and PulseNetwork that offered both technical and financial support for our SRH projects, Crochet4Life for working with us to change the lives of women, and Rotaract clubs of both Nateete & Nakawa that enabled us reach out to populations in areas where we have no coverage. Internationally, we have worked with partners in Australia, USA and currently working with ACWW-UK.

We are grateful to the Local District Administrations of Iganga, Kayunga, Kampala, Mukono and Mayuge that enabled us fulfill our dream of empowering communities for holistic development. 

 PEAHWhat are your duties and tasks in CINTA?

Masembe: As the CEO of the organization, I provide leadership, management oversight, and coordination to a national network of the organization programs in the areas of strategic development, staff management, fundraising, financial management, programmatic management, establishment of accountability standards and partnership management. I am humbled to be at the helm of this young organization and privileged to chase my dream of making a difference in the lives of others. 

PEAHThank you Dr. Masembe for enlightening answers and commendable engagement

 —————————————

* Gertrude (Trudy) Masembe is an executive leader with proven management background; effective problem-solving skills with ability to work in rapidly changing environments. She has demonstrated expertise in strategic planning, organizational development, project management and business intelligence across diverse spaces in the development sector. She attended Makerere University and specialized in Social Sector Planning and Management. Her passion is community development which cuts across various sectors like health, education and economic empowerment.

E-mail: trudymasembe@hotmail.com 

 

By Dr. Masembe recently on PEAH:

Venomous COVID-19: Ripping the Country of its Valuable Young Generation 

Interventions to Curb Covid-19 Spread in a Low-Income Country: Feasibility Challenges 

Public Health or Poverty Alleviation? What are Mosquito Nets for?

News Flash 446: Weekly Snapshot of Public Health Challenges

News Flash Links, as part of the research project PEAH (Policies for Equitable Access to Health), aim to focus on the latest challenges by trade and governments rules to equitable access to health in resource-limited settings

News Flash 446

Weekly Snapshot of Public Health Challenges

 

Public health round-up

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Weekly Update

Pandemic Treaty: US Proposes Amending Existing International Health Rules First; Germany Presses for Sanctions

Q&A: Multilateralism ‘failed badly’ during COVID-19

G20 leaders must demonstrate real-time international cooperation and action to control the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

Bilateral Deals Will be Key to Nailing Down G20 Health Ministers’ Declaration

DECLARATION OF THE G20 HEALTH MINISTERS Rome | 5-6 September 2021

Meeting highlights from the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) 30 August – 2 September 2021

EMA evaluating data on booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty

Transparency of COVID-19 vaccine trials: decisions without data

End Vaccine Apartheid

Majority of African nations won’t meet vaccination goal this month

MSF demands Cepheid justify inadequate price reduction of COVID-19 tests

Strengthening the evidence base for decisions on public health and social measures

Predictors of COVID-19 epidemics in countries of the World Health Organization African Region

Lessons from COVID-19: Strengthening the public health system in India or accelerating privatisation?

Mental health in the pandemic

Few Countries Have Plan to Support People With Dementia

The cost and burden of cancer: Report gives a wake-up call to avert healthcare crisis

Thailand’s national strategic plan on antimicrobial resistance: progress and challenges

Subnational inequalities in diphtheria–tetanus–pertussis immunization in 24 countries in the African Region

Lifesaving TB medicines must be affordable and available to make all-oral treatments for children a reality

HIV treatment dolutegravir arrives in more upper-middle-income countries

Colonialism in speech-language pathology: Moving forward

Indigenous leaders push new target to curb Amazon deforestation

Climate Czar Kerry Fails To Clinch Climate Deal With China

Social cost of plastic pollution more than GDP of India

A fair share of climate finance: apportioning responsibility for the $100 billion climate finance goal

Mitigating climate change must be a priority for public health

Call for Emergency Action to Limit Global Temperature Increases, Restore Biodiversity, and Protect Health

UNEP Calls for Robust Governance as Air Quality Regulations Lag Behind In 37% Of Countries

Shipping industry proposes levy to speed up zero carbon future

 

 

 

News Flash 445: Weekly Snapshot of Public Health Challenges

News Flash Links, as part of the research project PEAH (Policies for Equitable Access to Health), aim to focus on the latest challenges by trade and governments rules to equitable access to health in resource-limited settings

News Flash 445

Weekly Snapshot of Public Health Challenges

 

What’s going on between African nations and the EU?

‘War and Peace’? Why Armed Conflicts Rise and Democracy Declines – An Excerpt from George Lueddeke’s Lastest Book SURVIVAL

One Health – a symphony of effort…a health exigency worldwide!

Germany’s Role in Global Health After the September 2021 Election

WHO Webinar registration: Strengthening Infection Prevention and Control Activities and Embedding IPC in AMR NAP Implementation (2PM CET) 8 September 2021 14:00 – 15:00 CET

Tackle excessive use of antibiotics and introduce mandatory animal welfare labelling for more sustainable animal farming, EPHA says

Webinar registration: What actions should be taken to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes in Europe?  Thu, Sep 9, 2021 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM CEST 

Medical deserts – A growing problem across Europe

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Weekly Update

Coronavirus: 70% of the EU adult population fully vaccinated

ECDC and EMA highlight considerations for additional and booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines

New SARS-CoV2 Variant Identified in South Africa Does Not Appear to be Increasing in Circulation

WHO releases new compendium of innovative health technologies for COVID-19 and other priority diseases

From Monkey Pox to COVID-19: New WHO Pandemic Hub Head Dr Chikwe Tackles Global Health Challenges

The COVID-19 pandemic and the reshaping of the international public health order

The EU and its members must learn the lessons from COVID-19 for our health systems

A perfect storm for the European health workforce

Monopolies on Covid vaccines are killing people in poorer countries

10 Images That Illustrate The Shameful Global Vaccine Inequity

How to integrate community leaders into pandemic preparedness

The lab leak hypothesis — true or not — should teach us a lesson

What does a future with AI-aided TB screening look like?

PLOS ONE: Public investments in the development of GeneXpert molecular diagnostic technology

NEW PROJECT TO DEVELOP ADVOCACY-RELATED SKILLS FROM TB EUROPE COALITION

Innovative Use of World’s First Malaria Vaccine Generates Remarkable Results and a Life-Saving Opportunity

World failing to address dementia challenge

Over half of the global population lack social protection

Racism doesn’t just exist within aid. It’s the structure the sector is built on

Four years on, Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are losing hope

Fiddling in Nairobi While Africa Goes Hungry

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry in Japan to discuss efforts to cut carbon emissions

Highly polluting leaded petrol now eradicated from the world, says UN

Secret Electricity Contracts Hurt Consumers, Citizens, and Climate

IPCC Special Report: The Ocean and cryosphere in a changing climate