By: Alyssa Govindan, GBCHealth The WHO recently reported that Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, affectionately known as the BRICS, are losing a combined $46 billion to premature cancer deaths every year. Director of the International Agency for Cancer Research, Dr. Christopher Wild, spoke about the new report published in Cancer Epidemiology: “Focusing on tobacco control, vaccination programs and … Read More
Innovations in Global Health: Detecting TB using Artificial Intelligence
Tuberculosis (TB) caused 1.7 million deaths in 2016, surpassing the number of HIV/AIDS deaths globally. In that year, 10.4 million people fell ill with TB, mostly from poor and vulnerable communities. As a result of these troubling statistics, the World Health Organization (WHO) has accelerated its fight against TB with its End TB Strategy. The WHO estimates that 3.6 million … Read More
Perspectives: Creating Multi-sectoral Leadership in TB Control
By: Angel Cheng, Global TB Caucus TB has a devastating impact not only on the health and wellbeing of people around the world, but also on economic growth and stability. As a result, the disease is increasingly presenting itself as both a moral and financial consideration for businesses concerned about their workers, consumers and communities where they operate. According to … Read More
Innovations in Global Health: Greenmash: Utilizing Data to Better Fight Disease
NGOs in low resource countries face numerous challenges in launching, monitoring and evaluating programs. Often data collection and data quality issues affect everything from accurately identifying community needs to creating appropriate response strategies. Once programs are launched, there is little to no visibility into the program, making timely monitoring and adjustments impossible. When the final program data is collected and … Read More
Event: The Global Fund Explores Innovative Finance for Health
On November 13th, the Private Sector Constituency to the Global Fund Board hosted a discussion on “Opportunities in Innovative Financing for Health” on the sidelines of the 38th Board Meeting of the Global Fund to Fight HIV, TB and Malaria. The Global Fund is the largest financing institution in global health, having funded programs that have saved more than 22 … Read More
Haifa hospital: A case for a multisector approach to UHC everywhere
While UHC Day (December 21, 2017) brought attention to the need for access to affordable, quality care for people everywhere, a recent Devex article looks at how Universal Health Care (UHC) has been applied to one Beirut hospital serving mostly Palestinian and Syrian refugees. The Haifa Hospital is run by Palestine Red Crescent Society and is fairly modest with 40 … Read More
Diphtheria making a comeback in conflict areas
Diphtheria is an infectious, bacterial disease which affects the throat and upper airways. in the past, the disease has disproportionally affected children but mortality rates dropped severely following the widespread introduction of a vaccine in the 1930s. The disease is airborne, spreading easily through a cough or sneeze. A recent article by NPR’s Goats & Soda discusses the rise of … Read More
Insights: It’s time to involve the private sector in accelerating Universal Health Coverage
By Alyssa Govindan “Governments have everything to gain when they prioritize human health. I am hopeful for global progress because universal health coverage is included in the SDGs” – Dr. Agnes Binagwaho, Rwanda’s Minister of Health. What is UHC? Countries around the world have developed many different models for delivering healthcare. Some are fully public, some are mostly private, and … Read More
Innovations in Global Health: Strengthening public health supply chains through private sector integration: Lessons from Senegal
By Dr. Mary-Ann Etiebet, Executive Director, Merck for Mothers Fatou Binetou Badji, a midwife and head nurse at a Senegalese medical center, recalls a time when she had to have tough conversations with patients who would come in to her facility, only to find out their preferred contraceptive method was not available. “It was very difficult when a patient already … Read More
Economic Incentives Encourage HIV Testing in Children and Adolescents
World Aids Day, on December 1st, is a global campaign that seeks to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS and promote the benefits of getting tested. A recent study reveals a greener way to encourage testing, money. An important first step towards eliminating HIV and AIDS is encouraging everyone to get tested so those living with the virus can get treatment, subsequently … Read More