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Young (and occasionally less young) researchers, mostly from LMICs, present their views on global health issues.
Early last month, South Africa became a new entrant to the list of countries proposing use of the none-too-wisely-named ‘sin tax’ to deter consumption of demerit (socially undesirable or unhealthy) goods. The government recommended implementation of a drastic increase on sugar-sweetened beverages, as South Africans consume almost double the ...
A (by now, rather famous) quote from Margaret Chan supports the global branding of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). In the quote, the WHO Director-General states: “I regard universal health coverage as the single most powerful concept that public health has to offer.” I argue in this short piece that this quote does not capture the very natu...
There is no escape from the NCD epidemic. In recent weeks, two consecutive papers in the Lancet, to which our colleagues Patrick Kolsteren and Roos Verstraeten contributed as members of the NCDRIsC group, underscored this (inconvenient?) NCD truth once again. Among the key messages: 1) quantitatively, the problem of obesity now outweighs tha...
I am a trained anthropologist from University of Pune-India, and hold a PhD in public health and policy from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). In the year 2000, I was also ordained as a Lay Leader to serve the local Church. Although not a trained theologian, my interest in theology does sustain till date. In search of a...
If you’re a young health (systems) researcher, I’m sure you will identify with me when I talk about the challenges many of us face in the broader academic environment (including in the vastly cooler world of health systems research in which you from to time get to enjoy Lucy Gilson’s YMCA dance moves during serious meetings, or can talk ...
Nasreen Jessani (EV 2014) The EV4GH is more than a program – its an experience – one that is similar to that first intense overwhelming first year at university where you plan to go predominantly for the learning but realize that country you are in, the people you are meeting and the networks you are making will transcend all that! Wh...
We’ve heard it for decades. Women’s empowerment and gender equity are key components in fighting poverty, realizing human rights, building stable societies, sustaining peace and promoting health. Arguably, both directly and indirectly, women’s empowerment is a contributing piece to all 17 sustainable development goals. And yet, this is an ...
The gift of time and the gift of energy are truly worth having, to the extent that a power couple rightly listed them as superpowers earlier this week. One cannot buy time, but one can harness energy and delegate responsibilities in an equitable manner to ensure the time available is used optimally and in a way that wellbeing is improved. So...
Zika virus is making headlines all around the world. In Latin America, Zika caused little less than a turmoil. In less than a year, perception veered from one more dengue-like discomfort to that of a devilish threat, particularly so since its possible association with microcephaly. Not unsurprisingly in times when health is increasingly seen as ...