Editorial: A private story in a public space?

Dear reader,

This newsletter should have been sent to you on Monday already. And I could have published it today without any comment. You would not have even noticed the delay; it is still December anyhow. I could also pretend that nothing happened, and this might be really professional, really smart.

But I am not that smart, so instead of a political editorial, here are some really private news: Last Friday afternoon, the “Joachim” storm destroyed the whole roof of the house in the Jura hills, in Switzerland, where I live with my family. The roof, in one big piece, with tiles and trusses and a piece of the back wall of the house, was blown by a gust some 60, 70 meters into a neighbouring field … leaving the attic of the house wide open to the sky and my son Andreas and myself, who were both at home at that time, completely stunned, in state of shock.

A couple of minutes later, we had a team of the village fire brigade, a care team of the “Samaritans” and our neighbours with us, starting to rescue our belongings from the attic, to protect the lower floors of the house from the heavy rain, to care for us and to console us. On Saturday morning, a temporary truss was in place, covered by a tarpaulin, and construction and insurance experts gathered in our living room to discuss reconstruction. Since then, I have been busy as ad hoc emergency site manager – at the same time aiming at normalizing family live wherever possible.

After the first shock, good thoughts got stronger soon: all of us save and alive, the great solidarity around us, the professionals who were around when we really needed them. And then, when I raised my head again, I saw the television pictures of those affected by the typhoon in Mindanao, and I compared our small disaster with their incredible suffering, putting the record straight. Lucky us. And privileged. I knew it before, but there is a difference between knowing and experiencing…

Take it as a Christmas story. Or leave it, if you think that the public space of this newsletter should not be used for this kind of private business. Just to say it clearly: I am not sorry that this newsletter is delayed. It just happened.

Best regards,

Thomas Schwarz, Executive Secretary
Medicus Mundi International Network

MMI Network: News, Events and Resources

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MMI Network event: Graduate Institute – MM Switzerland
Executive Course on Intellectual Property, Diplomacy and Global Public Health. Geneva, 15-17 February 2012

“A key goal of the course will be to develop concrete tools for implementing the World Health Organization’s Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health, Innovation, and Intellectual Property.  Course faculty will include key representatives from the World Health Organization, the World Trade Organization, the World Intellectual Property Organization, academia, industry, and nongovernmental organizations.”

www.graduateinstitute.ch

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MMI Network event: EPN
Access to quality medicines: priority needs, priority actions for today and tomorrow. Addis Ababa, 21-23 March 2012

”The biennial Forum and General meeting of the Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network (EPN) is an opportunity for Network members to meet physically to discuss and make critical decisions in relation to the activities of the Network. In 2010, during the EPN Forum in Nairobi, participants from 20 countries discussed strategies for building sustainable pharmaceutical systems and for the delivery of quality pharmaceutical services within the church sector. They came away with a sense that the two day forum provided them with an immeasurable learning experience and access to information and resources that would help them do their jobs more efficiently and effectively. At next year’s Forum in Addis Ababa, the theme of discussions will be ‘Access to quality medicines: priority needs, priority actions for today and tomorrow’. Mark the date! More information will follow soon.”

www.epnetwork.org/forum-2012

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MMI Network event: aidsfocus – MM Switzerland
Advocacy and HIV. Berne, 17 April 2012

”Advocacy is a key component in the struggle towards an AIDS-free future and the fulfilment of the right to health for all. The aidsfocus.ch conference 2012 will focus on advocacy and open a space for sharing, discussion and joint learning on experiences, visions and strategies to end the epidemic.”

www.aidsfocus.ch/platform/Event.2011-12-15.5802

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MMI Network event: Swiss TPH – MM Switzerland
eHealth in proof and practice: Opportunities and challenges in international health. Basel, 8 May 2012

”Years ago the concept of ‘eHealth’ was discussed only in its general manifestations, but of course, things change. The focus of the spring symposium will be on the review of evidence and best practice of using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT’s) to enhance health services and population health over the past decade.

www.swisstph.ch/en/events/spring-symposium-2012.html

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MMI Network campaigns: Cordaid
Winners of the 2011 Cordaid HIV and AIDS Award

“The 2011 edition of the Cordaid HIV and AIDS Award focused on the linking of community and formal health and care services for PLHIV. This was a topic which many organisations could relate to as Cordaid received 263 valid nominations – 182 nominations for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and 81 nominations for Faith-Based Organisations (FBOs). The two award winning organisations – one CSO and one FBO – displayed vision and leadership around the linking of community- and formal health and care services for PLHIV, provided evidence of substantial impact and/or successes achieved in this field, demonstrated innovative ways to strengthen the linkages, actively involved PLHIV in the design, implementation and monitoring/evaluation of their programmes and activities and recognized the need for sustainability and scaling up of their activities.”

www.bit.ly/hivaidsaward2011

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MMI Network papers
Global health leadership and the mandate of the WHO

“After 60 years of esteemed leadership, the World Health Organization (WHO) is embroiled in a crisis of identity characterized by underfunding, incoherent policy prioritization and administrative squabbles. Her governance credentials in the global health field are under threat from vested interests and better funded entrants. By reviewing the current reform process in the dynamic context of a politico-economic timeline, this paper seeks to unravel underlying causes and explores propositions by applying a good governance model in the light of accountability and human right concerns.” Master Thesis 2010/2011 submitted to the Global Health Department, Maastricht University, by Iboro Ekpo Nta. Supervisors: Anja Krumeich, Maastricht University, and Remco van de Pas, Wemos. Thanks to the author and the supervisors for allowing us to add this great resource to the MMI collection of documents related to WHO reform.

www.medicusmundi.org

On the other hand, Eduardo Missoni contributed a profound analysis of the WHO Reform process and its threats and opportunities to the December issue of the Bulletin of Medicus Mundi Switzerland: “A Healthier Political Functioning”: “There is no doubt that WHO quickly needs to reposition itself in a leading role in the wider global health governance scenario, supported by the necessary resources and trust to fully exert it. Trust that can only be built on its capacity to act independently from external undue influences, in the sole interest of public health and peoples’ right to ‘the attainment of the highest possible level of health.’”

www.medicusmundi.ch

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MMI Network reporting:
Annual Report 2010 of Medicus Mundi Italia

The Annual Report of Medicus Mundi Italy is available now in Italian language.

www.bit.ly/mmitalia_report2010

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MMI Network resources: i+solutions
Medicines procurement and supply management toolbox

“The procurement and supply management (PSM) toolbox project was initiated by the World Health Organization AIDS Medicines & Diagnostics Services (WHO/AMDS) in 2006. The goal is to disseminate information on the available PSM tools and to assist health staff in low and middle income countries in the various steps of the procurement and supply management process. Several WHO partners and other organizations contribute to the PSM Toolbox. i+solutions is WHO/AMDS’ main implementing partner for this project.”

www.iplussolutions.org

International Health Policy: MMI Updates

It’s again a bit much this time, so take it or leave it, as usually… Since we started to use the real-time short messaging service “Twitter”, we published there already more than 1400 bits and pieces of news on international health policy. Each update is 140 characters or less – these are the rules of the game. Just enough for a headline, eventually an author, a date, the source – and a shortened link to the website where you find the full information. Have a look at some of our “tweets” published during the last month.

Busan High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness
29 November – 1 December 2011

Access to medicines
and Doha+10

Global Health Governance

Debate on International NGOs
in: The Broker

Human Resources for Health
Migration of health personnel

Climate and Health
Durban Summit

Mother and child health
Reproductive health and rights

World AIDS Day
1 December 2011

Equity, social determinants

Other topics