Wemos collaborates with other organisations to make our (joint) messages and advocacy stronger. Here are recent letters we have signed with others on access to medicines and COVID-19 – a crucial public health matter in these times.
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News
Covid-19 shows why global solidarity is needed
In her new opinion article, Wemos director Mariëlle Bemelmans explains why the Covid-19 crisis shows the need for global solidarity. ‘There is no point in only improving our own health care, and neglecting it elsewhere, because a virus outbreak elsewhere will eventually reach us all in this globalised world.’
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Following Dutch COVID-19 guidelines
At Wemos we follow the guidelines of the Dutch Government and the National Institute for Public Health (RIVM) in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. This means that all our staff is working from home until 6 April.
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Opinion in Trouw: ‘Invest in transparent pharmaceutical company, and otherwise, don’t’
In her opinion piece in Trouw, global health advocate Ella Weggen explains why pension funds should not invest in pharmaceutical companies that are not transparent about the prices of their medicines. ‘My message to pension funds is: talk with pharmaceutical companies about transparency and fair pricing of medicines. Otherwise, do not invest in them,’ she says.
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Health workforce financing in Uganda: challenges and opportunities
Only one skilled health professional for every 1,000 inhabitants. A population that has doubled from 21 to over 40 million people in the last ten years. An expenditure of USD 51 per capita on health out of which only USD 8 comes from public domestic sources. This is the present-day situation in Uganda, a country that has been facing a huge shortage of human resources for health (HRH) for many years, with a direct and devastating impact on numerous population health indicators, particularly on maternal mortality rates.
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Turning the health workforce crisis into opportunity
This week, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs published its Youth, Education & Employment Strategy, ‘Youth at Heart’. With this strategy, for which we provided input last summer, the Dutch government aims to invest in more perspective for young people in the Sahel, Horn of Africa and Middle-East and North Africa (MENA) regions, with a focus on education and employment. In our opinion, investing in health worker jobs for these regions’ young populations would both improve their career opportunities and future, while at the same time tackle the large health workers shortage that many of these countries face.
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A strong health system is a prerequisite for sexual and reproductive health and rights
Access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) has still not been achieved in many countries and regions. For example, in Africa, 24.2% of women of reproductive age have an unmet need for family planning. SRHR can only be supported and enabled in a country with a strong, responsive and well-functioning health system. This health system should be sustainably financed, and properly staffed with sufficient and skilled health workers. In our short paper, we explain why a strong health system is a prerequisite for SRHR.
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Biomedical R&D: how can we do better for women and children?
If we want to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS), we will need to do better for women and children. They are disproportionately exposed to poverty-related and neglected diseases. How can biomedical Research & Development (R&D) and policy improve this (gender) gap? Director Mariëlle Bemelmans will join a panel discussion on this topic at the event ‘Healthcare, Gender and Inclusive R&D: How can we do better for women and children?’, jointly organized by DNDi, FIND, IAVI, IPM, MMV and TB Alliance, at 7AM in The Hague on February 13th.
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Accelerating progress towards UHC at PMAC 2020
What are some challenges and trends for the next decade in accelerating progress towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC)? How can we move from commitment to action? These (and related) questions will be discussed from Jan 28-Feb 2 at the Prince Mahidol Award Conference (PMAC) in Bangkok, an annual international conference focusing on policy-related health issues. The theme of the conference is ‘Accelerating Progress Towards Universal Health Coverage’. Wemos’ director Mariëlle Bemelmans is invited to participate as a panelist in a session on ‘Making and Using (Fiscal) Space for UHC’.
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Wemos endorsed the Kampala Declaration
Is aid stabilizing or overcoming an unfair global trade regime? Is it distorting or supporting national health systems? Is civil society represented and heard in global processes? How can we move from aid to global solidarity beyond aid? These were some of the tough questions that civil society from various countries discussed last October and November as part of the ‘Kampala Initiative’. Wemos proudly endorses an important milestone of this initiative, the Kampala Declaration, released on January 27th.
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