The network - Towards Unity For Health

More documents

Recommendations

Info

THE NETWORK: TUFH IN ACTIONANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCENo Teachers or Students,Just ParticipantsD E C E M B E R 2 0 0 8N E W S L E T T E R N U M B E R 0 2 | V O L U M E 2 76Paulo Marcondes Carvalho surrounded by students during the Dinner & DanceIn the past I had the opportunity to attend Mayor, always kind and supportive in theirthe Network: TUFH Conferences in New yellow jackets. The visit to University of LaMexico and in Londrina. This year I was Sabana showed us an audacious university,invited by FAIMER; I was very happy with this fully prepared to face new millennium needs,invitation, because attending previous but settled and in respect of their tradition.Network: TUFH Conferences had been highly My group also visited the health facilities ofvaluable to my career as a medical educator; Ciudad Bolivar, a large place with a lot ofI am still using several skills and insights poverty and problems, but also with manyacquired there, mainly when I am part of an people who are concerned with helping eachorganising scientific committee (for example, other and meeting local health needs.the poster session that we included recently The parties, dinners and reception offeredat the Brazilian Medical Education Congress). delicious food and were a lot of fun. Here wecould strengthen our friendships.I participated in a pre-conference workshop.There were few participants, but still it was At the Bogotá Conference I met many oldan amazing day! Because it lasted a whole friends, but I also interacted with many newday, we had the opportunity to discuss and people from all around the world. I also gotexplore the topic in-depth. And I made to know students, in my role as a mentor orfriends with whom I interacted during the just through casual conversation. It seems towhole Conference.me that this Conference knows no teachers orstudents, just participants. There is no hierarchyand all connections are made easily.In essence, the Network: TUFH Conferenceprogramme is intense and mixed. It coversmany key topics of the health sciences curricula,such as medical education, project cussed how to increase participation ofDuring the Latin-American meeting we dis-management, partnership, et cetera. Collectivediscussions and reflection moments are I think we must fight together to increaseschools from this region in a structural way.privileged; this is one of the few conferences Latin-American participation into Thethat I attended where concepts of active Network: TUFH. Let’s hope that many of uslearning are being used in practice. All participantsare responsible for the sessions, notcan be in Amman in 2009, including myself!only facilitators and key-note speakers.Paulo Marcondes Carvalho Junior |Other very strong key points this year were Marilia Medical School, Marilia, Brazilthe site visits and parties. All site visits were Email: paulo@famema.brsupported by the youth service of BogotáTHE 2009 CONFERENCEDuring October 10-15, 2009 The Network:TUFH will organise its annual Conference incollaboration with the Faculty of Medicine,University of Jordan. This Conference will beheld in Amman, Jordan.The theme of the Conference is Achieving Qualityin Health Care: Challenges for Education,Research and Service Delivery.After the Conference (October 16, 2009) youcan participate in the following Post-ConferenceExcursion: Mu’tah University, Karak, Jordan.Available from early 2009:Conference site:www.the-networktufh.org/conferencePreliminary programme:www.the-networktufh.org/conference/programme.aspRegistration:www.the-networktufh.org/conference/registration.aspAbstract submission (for Thematic PosterSessions):www.the-networktufh.org/conference/abstractchoice.aspProposal submission (for Mini-workshops orDidactic Sessions):www.the-networktufh.org/conference/abstractchoice.asp
BOOK REVIEWAwakeningHippocratesBook review of: Awakening Hippocrates:population growth, environmental events,A Primer on Health, Poverty and Globalethics, religion, and human rights.ServiceAuthor: Edward O’Neil, JrFollowing this display of information, thereISBN 1-57947-772-0, 502 pp.is then a shift of focus to give the readerexamples of physicians who have worked in“Never underestimate the ability of a smallparts of the world with the greatest healthgroup of committed individuals to changedisparities. O’Neil uses these vignettes tothe world. Indeed, they are the only onesdemonstrate the ‘power of direct action’.who ever have”.Some of these individuals are iconic fig-- Margaret Meadures for most health professionals: AlbertThis essentially describes the thesis of EdwardO’Neil’s book. His desire is to makethe case that as health professionals weshould all engage in a global work forceto improve health in the parts of the worldwhere others are less fortunate than we are.EngagementIn his first chapter O’Neil discusses theforces of disparity which propagate illness.He tells us that the greatest enemiesof good health are poverty and structuralviolence. O’Neil wants his readers and allhealth professionals to engage in not onlyunderstanding the disparities in health,but in becoming part of the solution. Hethen goes on to lay out the case for thecurrent state of health in the developingworld. He tells us there are three simpleobservations: the first is that most wealthycountries have “a large cadre of healthcareproviders whose healing powers now reachunprecedented levels”; the next, that ourprofession concentrates our knowledgeand skills for those who can afford them;Schweitzer, Tom Dooley, Paul Farmer. Allof their stories remind us that as individualswe can do something to improve thehealth of others.Primary CareFrom cover to cover, Awakening Hippocratesdoes stir up the reader’s emo-tions about the state of health and thetremendous disparities that exist aroundthe world. To that end, Edward O’Neil hasbeen successful. However, through his verydetailed and careful navigation of thesewaters he does neglect an important opportunity.There is no mention of the valueof primary care in improving health. BarbaraStarfield and other authors have repeatedlydemonstrated that evidence showsthat primary care helps prevent illnessand death, and that it is associated witha more equitable distribution of health inpopulations. This is a finding that holds inboth cross-national and within-nationalstudies. In addition, the means by whichprimary care improves health have beenidentified (Starfield, 2005).O’Neil. However, when one looks at theMillennium Development Goals, perhapsthe best opportunity to achieve them liesin the training of a primary care workforceof healthcare providers, to allow access tohigh quality care.O’Neil’s book is a wonderful compendiumof back ground information and inspirationalstories that should encourage healthprofessionals to work globally. Let us hopethat it will also serve as a catalyst for discussionsby policy makers about what hasworked, and what has not, to achieve quality,accessible healthcare for all.ReferenceSTARFIELD, B., SHI, L., & MACINKO, J.(2005). Contribution of Primary Care toHealth Systems and Health. TheMilbank Quarterly83 (3), 457–502.This review has been published before inEducation for Health, Volume 20, no. 3,2007.D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 8 N E W S L E T T E R N U M B E R 0 2 | V O L U M E 2 7and finally, that “there is an ethical imperativethat compels us to care for all whoSo although we must support the eradica-Alain J. Montegut | Department of Familyneed us”.tion of poverty and of structural violence,Medicine, Boston University Medicalwe must also work to truly strive for theCentre, United States of AmericaO’Neil reports to us about how we haveaccessibility of quality primary care for all.Email: jgravdalmd@gmail.comtried to improve health in the world throughThe funding that goes towards the verticalagencies such as the United Nations andpublic health programmes for disease con-many non-governmental organisations.trol - such as the fight to prevent malariaHe also examines the forces of disparityand tuberculosis - are having some impactlooking at e.g. trade, racism, governance,on health indicators as documented by7
Page 2: CONTENTS03ForewordPrimary Healthcar
Page 9 and 10: INTERNATIONAL HEALTH PROFESSIONS ED
Page 11 and 12: NEW INSTITUTIONS AND PROGRAMMESLast
Page 13 and 14: Soft Skills Trainingin MalaysiaThe
Page 15 and 16: THE LIKE-MINDED WORKING TOGETHERGlo
Page 17 and 18: IMPROVING HEALTHJMHPE: THIRD GROUP
Page 19 and 20: WOMEN’S HEALTHPreventing Paediatr
Page 21 and 22: HEALTH PROMOTIONOral Health Promoti
Page 23 and 24: STUDENT INTERVIEWHow do students fr
Page 25 and 26: Fathi Maklady | Vice President forp
Page 27 and 28: Taskforce Carefor the Elderly Gets
Page 29 and 30: REPRESENTED AT INTERNATIONAL MEETIN
Page 31 and 32: INTERNATIONAL DIARYDiary 20091 - 4

The network - Towards Unity For Health

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?