The first Ebola outbreak ever in West Africa is spiraling out of control, we heard from CDC director Tom Frieden a few days ago, as anybody could see who is actually going to the affected countries. The window of opportunity to contain the epidemic is fast closing down, he said. International stakeholders are frantically (or is it finally ?) try...

  “Since 2008 the WHO has shown leadership in raising awareness of the threats posed by climate change to health. Specifically, WHO has provided evidence, technical guidance and piloted approaches to protect health from climate risks”.   With these words the World Health Organization sets the tone for the “WHO conference on health and clim...

Hundred years ago, one of the most violent conflicts in the history of mankind began. For four years, alliances of countries faced each other in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia (a little bit) and  on the oceans. The violence used would take a different scale from before: the era of industrial war had begun. The First World War and its mil...

Tomorrow, in IHP’s Featured Article, my colleague Bruno Meessen will reflect on a particularly bloody day in 1914 and draw some lessons for global health. Yet, it’s increasingly obvious that people don’t seem to be very good at learning any lessons from the past. As the headlines can tell us, modernization and technological advances haven�...

There have been a number of attempts at establishing global level goals for health in recent decades. The Alma Ata declaration of 1978 which envisioned Health for All by 2000, the ICPD  and the Millennium Development Goals are some examples, that preceded the present discussion on Universal Health Coverage at the international stage as part of ...

Although the situation in Gaza is still very shaky, Majdi Ashour hopes the worst is over, writing from the Gaza strip.  He does so from the bottom of his heart and gives us in this way some idea on what his people in Gaza have endured in recent weeks. While doing so, he uses metaphors and archangels from ancient literature, finds some inspirati...

Deep creases mark the face of the frail, old man who carries a 25 kilogram suitcase on his head. With two overfilled shopping bags balancing on either arm he walks fast; in a hurry to unload his burden onto the car of the passengers who have alighted from the train at New Delhi’s railway station. He is a coolie – carrying luggage at the stat...

Over the last years there has been much research on and proposals for governance in health systems whether at the district, national or global level. Since mid-nineties or so there have been reforms in countries to initiate public- private cooperation, e.g. via the contracting of health service delivery. At global level, there has been debate ab...

Steph (@globalstopp) is Health Systems Advisor at the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ) and Research Associate with the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She was a 2013 Emerging Voice and is lead facilitator for the 2014 Emerging Voices online discussion relating to people centred care. She is also a co-facilitator for ...