Health

The Australian health care system is often projected as one of the most efficient and effective in the world, with its universal Medicare system. Medicare is a universal insurance scheme that initially allowed free healthcare at point of access, regardless of income; funded through the country’s taxation system.

Corrupt practices by management, in pursuit of PPPs, have marred service delivery at the Federal Medical Centre Owerri (FMC), in south-eastern Nigeria. The trade unions uncovered the action taken by highly placed officials in the federal ministry of health to cover up a series of malfeasance.

At the end of the Ebola crisis in the Mano River Basin, the Liberian government declared its commitment to building a resilient health care delivery system. However, the Liberian government left the same management in place and, unsurprisingly, working conditions for health workers have not improved.

PSI affiliates launched the global Human Right to Health campaign in Lomé, Togo, on 7-8 February and Johannesburg, South Africa, on 3 March. The Francophone Africa launch in Lomé held a seminar on PPPs and the Right to Health, while at the Southern Africa sub-region launch in Johannesburg, leaders of the unions pledged their full support for the initiative, endorsing its framework for advocacy within southern African countries.

The 1st International Symposium on Community Health Workers (CHWs) was held in Kampala, Uganda on 21-23 February 2017 with the theme Contribution of Community Health Workers in attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Confronting Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), often simply called depression, will be the theme of this year’s World Health Day on 7 April.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is at a critical juncture in its history, and set for a new Director General (DG) to take office on 1 July 2017. The world has changed a lot since its formation in 1948, with a strong mandate to direct and coordinate international health.

PSI affiliates organised the sub-regional launch of the global campaign at Reef Hotels in Johannesburg on 3 March 2017. They all pledged their full support for the initiative, endorsing its framework for advocacy within southern African countries.

The Korean Health and Medical Union (KHMU) held its 2017 Annual Congress on February 22-23 at the International Conference Hall of the Seoul Women’s Plaza. The meeting was attended by delegates from the 180 branches of KHMU, representing 50,000 members.

PSI and its affiliates in the health sector across the world joined in marking March 1, as global Zero Discrimination Day. The day has been set aside since 2014 to raise awareness on the need to roll back all forms of discrimination in access to health services, particularly for persons living with HIV.