Submitted by Other Worlds on Thu, 08/19/2010 - 11:24
With the motto “Providing a preferential option for the poor in health care,” Partners in Health offers an unusual model of health care provision. Its mission is both medical and moral. Partners in Health is widely recognized as changing the potential for health for low-income people and countries throughout the world.
Submitted by Other Worlds on Mon, 04/19/2010 - 15:37
For most Haitians, when health care is available at all, it all too often treats the immediate problem only. Given the conditions under which the vast majority of Haitians live – dire poverty, malnourishment, and lack of access to water or sanitation – the next illness or physical challenge is an ever-present threat.
Poor health is not simply a result of biology, but a direct result of national and international policies and programs which foster poverty and inequality. Improving health care requires addressing the social causes of poor health. Known as the social determinants of health, these are the economic, political, and social conditions in which people are born, live, and work.
Submitted by Other Worlds on Mon, 04/12/2010 - 10:47
Lenz Jean-Francois is a social psychologist. He is also a professor and provisional head of the psychology department of the School of Social Sciences of the State University of Haiti. He talks about how local organizations and institutions are using social psychology in Haiti’s post-earthquake context to help survivors heal.
Haitians’ humanity is threatened today. If there is a battle that Haitians don’t want to lose, it’s their humanity. Each one is looking for recognition that he or she is present, that he or she is among the living.
The difficult situation that Haitians are going through today makes them more fragile. But it can also be a force.
Submitted by Other Worlds on Thu, 04/01/2010 - 08:40
The governments of Cuba, Brazil, and Haiti signed a trilateral accord on March 27 to rebuild the public health system in Haiti. Brazil committed $US80 million toward the effort and pledged to create a national epidemiologic surveillance network. The Cuban contribution includes more than 1,600 doctors, a couple of hundred of whom were already in Haiti when the earthquake hit and who acted as first responders. Most of the medical delegation came shortly after the earthquake, to provide top-quality health care for two years.
Submitted by Other Worlds on Wed, 02/17/2010 - 12:00
By Julie Castro. My interest in health emerged as a way to take action in the fight for social justice. During my medical studies I did internships in Africa and India, and worked in a refugee camp located along the Thai-Burmese border. At the same time I became more aware of the anti-globalization movement, and it appeared to me that it was addressing the structural causes of ill health: inequality at both the global and local level. Today, while I’m working on the fight against AIDS in Mali, I’m also one of those defending the idea that access to public health in France is a right.
Submitted by Other Worlds on Wed, 01/13/2010 - 14:33
Paraguay's government has followed through on campaign promises to make almost all public health services free of charge. More than 70% of Paraguay's population depends on the public health system for their healthcare, but until the recent policy change, an estimated 40% were unable to afford healthcare of any kind.
With the motto “Providing a preferential option for the poor in health care,” Partners in Health offers an unusual model of health care provision. Its mission is both medical and moral. Partners in Health is widely recognized as changing the potential for health for low-income people and countries throughout the world.
For most Haitians, when health care is available at all, it all too often treats the immediate problem only. Given the conditions under which the vast majority of Haitians live – dire poverty, malnourishment, and lack of access to water or sanitation – the next illness or physical challenge is an ever-present threat.
Lenz Jean-Francois is a social psychologist. He is also a professor and provisional head of the psychology department of the School of Social Sciences of the State University of Haiti. He talks about how local organizations and institutions are using social psychology in Haiti’s post-earthquake context to help survivors heal.
The governments of Cuba, Brazil, and Haiti signed a trilateral accord on March 27 to rebuild the public health system in Haiti. Brazil committed $US80 million toward the effort and pledged to create a national epidemiologic surveillance network. The Cuban contribution includes more than 1,600 doctors, a couple of hundred of whom were already in Haiti when the earthquake hit and who acted as first responders. Most of the medical delegation came shortly after the earthquake, to provide top-quality health care for two years.
By Julie Castro. My interest in health emerged as a way to take action in the fight for social justice. During my medical studies I did internships in Africa and India, and worked in a refugee camp located along the Thai-Burmese border. At the same time I became more aware of the anti-globalization movement, and it appeared to me that it was addressing the structural causes of ill health: inequality at both the global and local level. Today, while I’m working on the fight against AIDS in Mali, I’m also one of those defending the idea that access to public health in France is a right.