WHO & African Union Sign MOU To Expand Access To Medicines & Bolster Epidemic Preparedness

18/11/2019 Grace Ren

The World Health Organization and African Union have signed a sweeping Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on improving access to medicines, strengthening epidemic preparedness, and expanding universal health coverage across the African continent. These are the three main pillars of the MOU signed Monday by the WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and African Union Chair […] Continue reading ->

Pakistan Becomes First Country To Add Typhoid Vaccine To National Immunization Programme

15/11/2019 Editorial team

Pakistan became the first country in the world to introduce the typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) into its routine immunization program on Friday. The government of Pakistan is launching the national vaccine with a campaign in Sindh Province, which has already been deploying the vaccine on an emergency basis since April 2019 to tackle an ongoing […] Continue reading ->

Time For A New Deal For Medicine; EPHA Forum Challenges Status Quo On Medicines Policy

14/11/2019 Grace Ren

The debate around drug price transparency was a highlight of the 4th Forum on Access to Medicines in Europe, hosted by the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) Thursday. The forum focused its discussions around cancer therapies, medicines shortages, and transparency around R&D costs. “It is high time to challenge the status quo on medicines policy […] Continue reading ->

Violence Against Ebola Responders Plagues Outbreak Response As Case Counts Plateau

08/11/2019 Grace Ren

The number of Ebola cases per week has plateaued at a low, but consistent, count of 19 per week in the past 21 days, but the violent death of a radio journalist who had won acclaim for his Ebola outreach work has responders remaining vigilant. One Ebola case was also detected this week at a […] Continue reading ->

Italian Health Minister Moves To Replace Key Architect of WHA Resolution On Drug Price Transparency

07/11/2019 Elaine Ruth Fletcher

In a move fraught with international political overtones, Italy’s new Minister of Health is moving to replace the Director General of the Italian Drug Agency (AIFA), Dr Luca Li Bassi, who was the key architect of the May World Health Assembly (WHA) resolution supporting greater price transparency in medicines markets, Health Policy Watch has learned. […] Continue reading ->

Civil Society Pressures French Leaders To Adopt Transparency Amendments

06/11/2019 Grace Ren

A coalition of over 40 personalities – from doctors and economists to actors and health access activists – released an open letter Tuesday calling on the French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and the Minister of Health Agnès Buzyn to support a series of amendments to the French Social Security Budget Bill for 2020 providing for […] Continue reading ->

Delhi Air Pollution Emergency Triggers Protests, Political Squabbles – But No Real Action

04/11/2019 Elaine Ruth Fletcher & Grace Ren

Demonstrators poured onto the streets and politicians pointed fingers as Delhi’s air pollution levels soared above the threshold air quality monitoring stations could record on Sunday. The Indian Supreme Court issued a scathing statement calling for politicians to stop “passing the buck” on the air pollution issue and take urgent action in the “public health […] Continue reading ->

Delhi Declares “Public Health Emergency” As City Residents Choke On Air Pollution

01/11/2019 Elaine Ruth Fletcher

Delhi declared a public health emergency as air pollution levels soared on Friday, while Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the mega-city had “turned into a gas chamber”. According to official government monitoring stations, levels of tiny PM10 air pollution particles had risen as high as 20 times WHO Air Quality Guideline levels in parts […] Continue reading ->

Advancing Health-Related SDGs In Africa Through Private Sector Collaborations

25/10/2019 Thomas B. Cueni

As the World Health Summit opens Sunday in Berlin, one of the key themes running through the conference will be how industry, government and civil society leaders can collaborate more effectively to build strong health institutions – with a particular focus on building African capacities in a Monday keynote session. This means working across all […] Continue reading ->

Ebola Public Health Emergency Still In Force, Despite Decline In Cases

18/10/2019 Grace Ren & Elaine Ruth Fletcher

The World Health Organization is not yet ready to declare that the Ebola public health emergency in the Democratic Republic of Congo is over – despite significant recent declines in the pace of new infections. WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Friday that he did not find it prudent to end the “Public […] Continue reading ->