Guest Blog

Leading the Way in Burn Care: Two Decades of Success in South Africa

2012-02-08T18:03:47+00:00

Twenty-one years ago, the Johnson & Johnson Burn Treatment Center opened its doors at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa. The hospital is located in Soweto, a primarily poor urban neighborhood of Johannesburg whose residents were subject to discrimination and violence under apartheid. When it opened, the burn treatment center was the only one of its kind in Africa, and in an area more commonly known for poverty and racial tensions. In two decades, the center has seen nearly 12,000 patients and performed more than 9,000 procedures.

Neglected Tropical Diseases: Business is Not as Usual

2012-02-07T18:44:13+00:00

“Business is not as usual,” said Dr. Lorenzo Savioli, director of the World Health Organization’s Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), regarding the new collaboration Uniting to Combat NTDs announced Jan. 30 in London. Thirteen pharmaceutical companies, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, donor and recipient governments, the World Bank, and several NGOs have committed to work together to reach the targets outlined in the WHO’s new publication, Accelerating Work to Overcome the Global Impact of Neglected Tropical Diseases: A Roadmap for Implementation. The roadmap does not set new targets, but compiles existing resolutions and sets out common strategies for integrated NTD prevention and treatment programs.

Helping Afghans Who Survived the Killer Avalanche

2012-02-06T16:50:29+00:00

Concern Worldwide has launched an emergency response in Badakhshan, Afghanistan after avalanches killed at least 43 people last month - burying an entire village in up to 10 feet of snow. At least 60 more people were injured or trapped in their homes across a number of villages in the country’s north-east, and main roads were entirely cut off placing communities at severe risk.

Infographic: Reaching NTD Goals by 2020

2012-01-30T14:40:21+00:00

As an historic partnership to combat neglected diseases is announced, a visual representation of the burden and strategy

The International AIDS Conference Begins to Take Shape

2012-01-27T15:00:20+00:00

Today the organizers of the XIX International AIDS Conference (IAC) announced 15 plenary speakers and presentations that will help shape the overall conference theme “Turning the Tide Together.”

Voices on Ownership: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

2012-01-19T20:04:48+00:00

This is the second of a series of perspective pieces on country ownership from the “Advancing Country Ownership for Greater Results” roundtable organized last week by the Ministerial Leadership Initiative for Global Health (MLI), a program of Aspen Global Health and Development. It attracted 50 people, including senior officials from developing countries, the U.S. government, development partners and NGOs. These stories will run every day this week.

Questions on the Future Financing of Global Health

2012-01-19T15:49:09+00:00

The latest snapshot on global health financing is in. Dr. Chris Murray and colleagues from The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation presented today the findings from IHME’s third annual report.

Voices on Ownership: Administrator Rajiv Shah

2012-01-17T20:07:17+00:00

This is the first of a series of perspective pieces on country ownership from the “Advancing Country Ownership for Greater Results” roundtable organized last week by the Ministerial Leadership Initiative for Global Health (MLI), a program of Aspen Global Health and Development. It attracted 50 people, including senior officials from developing countries, the U.S. government, development partners and NGOs.

Yes, They Do Make House Calls

2012-01-11T20:11:09+00:00

As a mother, I know how troubling it is to care for a sick child. As a public health professional working with teams in developing countries for more than 20 years, I have a sense of just how many parents around the world share that worry on any given day. What is one thing that helps allay the worst fears of any parent? Having a health worker close at hand to help diagnose the problem and prescribe the solution.

Stemming the Tide of African Health Worker Migration

2011-12-13T17:51:30+00:00

The British Medical Journal issued a report last month estimating that nine African countries have lost $2 billion worth of investment in training and educating doctors who have subsequently migrated abroad. It needn’t be this way. Doctors, nurses and other health professionals do not have to give up home, family and country to earn enough money to give themselves and their children a future, even a modest one. And it needn’t cost low income countries billions of dollars to train the doctors and nurses who then leave for greener pastures.