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What We're Reading: Week of June 10, 2019
- “We must reinvent primary health care” to tackle pressing global challenges and achieve health for all, say WHO Secretary-General Dr. Tedros and Rwandan Vice Chancellor Agnes Bigowawho.
- The round of informal consultations on the “Zero Draft” of the political declaration on universal health coverage started this week. The International Institute for Sustainable Development’s summary highlights the commitments made in the draft – including strengthening primary health care and promoting the use of data.
- The global score for gender equality is “poor,” according to the recently released SDG Gender Index. Gaps in data around women and girls – and lack of public financing for data – are two key barriers to achieving gender parity.
- The private sector offers many solutions to challenges facing health systems, but more research is needed to understand the best way to leverage these partnerships for universal health coverage.
- A British Medical Journal analysis focused on four countries – Zambia, India, Sweden and South Africa – highlights the value of collaborative action in local health systems to respond to complex health needs.
- A new UNICEF report shows that the skyrocketing costs of maternal healthcare are leading to fatal outcomes and putting the lives of poorer moms and babies at risk.
- Data released from the WHO estimates that sexually transmitted infections are spreading at a rate of more than one million new cases per day.
- Tourists may be contributing to the spread of antimicrobial resistance by bringing superbugs home with them from their travels, says a new report from the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy.
- Last week, the Philippine Senate voted to impose a higher tobacco tax to pay for the country’s “ambitious” universal health coverage plan.