From its base in the University of the Western Cape’s School of Public Health, this year’s HIV in Context Research Symposium looks beyond biomedicine at some of the social determinants of HIV, and of responses to HIV, within and outside the health sector. The Symposium will examine the links between HIV, inequality and the dynamics and impacts of urbanisation – dynamics that play out between settings as people move permanently or temporarily to urban centres, and within the highly unequal spaces constituting South African cities. The particular experience of Cape Town as a destination and transit point on migration trajectories will be examined in relation to other cities in South Africa and beyond. Through diverse disciplinary and sectoral lenses,practitioners, researchers, policy makers and civil society activists will examine the many ways in which urbanisation, inequality and HIV interact and affect people’s lives.
Jobs and Announcements
From its base in the University of the Western Cape’s School of Public Health, this year’s HIV in Context Research Symposium looks beyond biomedicine at some of the social determinants of HIV, and of responses to HIV, within and outside the health sector. The Symposium will examine the links between HIV, inequality and the dynamics and impacts of urbanisation – dynamics that play out between settings as people move permanently or temporarily to urban centres, and within the highly unequal spaces constituting South African cities. The particular experience of Cape Town as a destination and transit point on migration trajectories will be examined in relation to other cities in South Africa and beyond. Through diverse disciplinary and sectoral lenses, practitioners, researchers, policy makers and civil society activists will examine the many ways in which urbanisation, inequality and HIV interact and affect people’s lives.
This course was developed to meet requests from individuals and organisations, for more effective planning, research and implementation of rational medicines use activities in the community. The objectives are: to study and remedy inappropriate medicines use in the community; to investigate and prioritize medicines use problems, and to develop effective strategies for change; and to address challenges in the use of medicines in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and chronic diseases; including issues on treatment literacy and adherence. This two week course is aimed at policy makers, management staff from Ministries of Health, ARV programme managers, NGO officials responsible for national and local programmes, development aid agencies, social scientists, pharmacists and other public health workers. The deadline for receipt of applications is 2 May 2008. The course flyer and application form can be printed out directly from the Medicines web page at http://mednet3.who.int/prduc or www.uwc.ac.za/comhealth/soph
The Global Symposium on Health Systems Research is organised every two years by Health Systems Global to bring together the full range of players involved in health systems and policy research and practice. The Alma Ata vision of ‘Health for All’ remains as compelling today as it was in 1978, as reflected in goal 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). But the world has changed in forty years. Despite improved health outcomes, there remain extraordinary challenges for health equity and social inclusion, such as demographic and disease transitions, conflicts and their subsequent migrations, pluralistic health systems and markets, and climate change. Political systems still marginalise those most in need. Yet there are new opportunities for health systems to achieve universal coverage. The Fifth Global Symposium will advance conversations and collaborations on new ways of financing health; delivering services; and engaging the health workforce, new social and political alliances, and new applications of technologies to promote health for all.
The Global Symposium on Health Systems Research is organised every two years by Health Systems Global to bring together the full range of players involved in health systems and policy research and practice. The Alma Ata vision of ‘Health for All’ remains as compelling today as it was in 1978, as reflected in goal 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). But the world has changed in forty years. Despite improved health outcomes, there remain extraordinary challenges for health equity and social inclusion, such as demographic and disease transitions, conflicts and their subsequent migrations, pluralistic health systems and markets, and climate change. Political systems still marginalise those most in need. Yet there are new opportunities for health systems to achieve universal coverage. The Fifth Global Symposium will advance conversations and collaborations on new ways of financing health; delivering services; and engaging the health workforce, new social and political alliances, and new applications of technologies to promote health for all.
The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Millennium Development Goals: Measuring progress in public health in South Africa’. Assessment of progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) during 2008 (the midpoint) revealed a mixed picture: many health goals remain off target, and huge inequities remain between and within countries. Existing evidence suggests that very few, if any, of the MDGs will be achieved in sub-Saharan Africa. The 2009 PHASA Conference is therefore aptly focused on the MDGs and measuring their progress from a public health perspective. An exciting programme is being put together of local and international speakers, including policy makers, leading local and international academics and international organisations, such as the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The Centre for African Family Studies (CAFS) is pleased to announce its course, "Supervising HIV and AIDS Services" to be held from 20 to 31 August 2007 in Nairobi, Kenya. The purpose of this course is to assist the HIV & AIDS supervisor in using a performance and quality improvement approach to guide, assist, train, and encourage staff to improve their performance and provide high quality health services. It is organised around a step-by-step process, useful for all supervisors, particularly the new supervisor. The process can be used to solve specific performance-related gaps in delivery of HIV & AIDS prevention, treatment care and support services and thereby improve health services. It can also be used to plan and initiate new HIV & AIDS services.
3-4 June, 2002, Cape Town, South Africa.
The WHO-UNAIDS HIV Vaccine Initiative is organizing the First African AIDS Vaccine Programme (AAVP) Forum which is planned to be held at the Golden Tulip The Lord Charles Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa on 3-4 June 2002. The African AIDS Vaccine Programme (AAVP) is a network of scientists, working to promote and facilitate HIV vaccine research and evaluation in Africa, through capacity building and regional and international collaboration. The principal objective of this programme is to actively involve African scientists and communities in all stages of HIV vaccine development and evaluation.
A short video is now available on the website of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Health Workforce Alliance. In it, Dr Omaswa refers to the first Global Forum on Human Resources for Health, to be held in Kampala , Uganda , on 2-7 March 2008. This conference is a remarkable and unique opportunity to bring together all those who are working to meet the needs of health workers in developing countries - whether our focus is on Skills, Equipment, Information, Structural support, Medicines, Incentives, and/or Communication facilities. Together participants can "plan and build a global movement to ensure that every person in every village everywhere has access to a skilled, motivated and supported health worker". The Forum meshes well with current movements to revitalize primary health care on the 60th anniversary of WHO, 30 years after Alma Ata. It promises to be an exciting and critical next step for achieving global goals and re-energising the global movement for better health in the 21st century. It is also an opportunity for HIFA2015 and CHILD2015 members to meet up.
African health and environment ministers will gather for the first time from 26 to 29 August, 2008, in Libreville, Gabon to enhance political commitment and investments for reducing environmental threats to health. The First Inter-Ministerial Conference on Health and Environment in Africa will be hosted by the Government of Gabon, together with WHO and the United Nations Environment Programme. Participants will come from health and environment ministries, multilateral and bilateral agencies, media, non-governmental organizations and civil society. The conference will explore ways to address key priorities and links in line with its theme “Health security through healthy environments”. It will review existing mechanisms and opportunities to address environmental challenges facing Africa. An agreement on specific actions required for changes in institutional arrangements and investment frameworks will be discussed.