GENEVA HEALTH FORUM 2008 – STRENGTHENING HEALTH SYSTEMS AND THE GLOBAL HEALTH WORKFORCE
DR ASTRID STUCKELBERGER
Health Systems at the center : G8
and the 30th Anniversary of Alma Ata
Global efforts to improve health conditions in
the world, especially in the poorest regions,
have adopted different strategies. In recent
decades, we witness two clear poles interacting
to shape the international agenda, one
addressing specific diseases or conditions and
the other one strengthening health systems.
While diseases have always been a concern, issues related to health systems have been given attention much later. Today, it is recognized that by focusing on specific performance measures only, the risk is to miss out on dealing with the broader system failure. Thus, there is a growing awareness that collective commitment to improve global health will not be successful nor sustainable if the health systems are not addressed in initiatives such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria or other world programmes or agenda on health such as those to combat avian flue or health priorities of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
As underlined lately by scientific papers, “addressing the health problems of poor countries can only move forward with a more balanced approach between specific-disease focus and system-based solutions like weaving a piece of cloth, we need both the vertical and the horizontal threads to form strong fabric.” (Reich et al., Lancet 371, 2008).
2008 is a year of bringing to the forefront global action on health systems. Not only will the Toyako G8 summit in Japan focus on health systems, but WHO is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Alma Ata Declaration with renewed attention to primary health care and with an annual report on primary health care and its role in strengthening health systems.
“AgeQuake in Health Systems : Imperatives of an Ageing Population”
Monday 26 May 2008
16h–17h30, International Conference Center in Geneva
organized with AOMS, GINA and the NGO committee on Ageing at the UN
Demographic ageing is shaping the world today and has become one of the most important
issues of the XXIst Century.
Ageing is not only a matter of numbers but of adaptation of social, financial and health
policies to the reality of the current world population. One of the alarming symptoms is
reflected by the recent high priority set for chronic diseases. It is often said that “The developed
world became rich before it became old, while developing countries are becoming
old before they become rich.” Despite this fact and the demographic data, the scope
of the challenge ahead of the specific consequences of ageing, at the individual and at the
population level, remain mostly unaddressed at the global level in international UN agencies
and multilateral institutions. This panel brings together key specialists on global issues
who will address the impact of a continuously increasing ageing population on health systems
and some of the solutions in different areas.
- Ageing : Beyond Demography, but How ? Siri Tellier, Director UNFPA, Geneva, author of the UNFPA “Ageing in China”
- Impact of Ageing on Chronic Diseases Management Dr Serge Resnikoff, Coordinator, Chronic Diseases Prevention and Management, WHO
- Contradictions and Neglect in Daily Standards of Care Werner Schleiffer, Executive Coordinator Conference of NGOs at the UN, former Director of WFP Office Geneva
- Example of Age-related Chronic Eye Disease in the World : Prevalence, Treatment and Costs Dr Kaweh Mansouri, Jules-Gonin University Eye Hospital, Lausanne
Geneva Health Forum 2008 :
Strengthening Health Systems
and the Global Health Workforce’
It is in this perspective that the Geneva Health Forum 2008 will focus on ‘Strengthening
Health Systems and the Global Health
Workforce’. It will take place at the International
Conference Centre of Geneva, Switzerland,
from 25 to 28 May 2008, immediately
following the WHO General Assembly. It is
organized in partnership with the major international
organizations active in health in
Geneva and around the world. Focusing on
innovation, the Forum places special emphasis on new approaches and on new perspectives
on improving global access to
health. The Geneva Health Forum incarnates
the spirit of a multi-stakeholder approach to
solving problems in global access to health
and stands firmly by its policy of having all
actors participate in the Forum.
The 3-days programme is rich in plenary panels and parallel sessions with participants from all around the world. Time for debate and discussion has especially been made this year in order to enhance exchange and interaction. The “Marketplace” of the Forum provides a convivial environment not only for networking and presenting projects and programmes, but also to meet the broad range of major actors in global access to health, from grassroots initiatives to the private sector and global funds. Everyone is invited to participate.
Events open to the public
- The opening ceremony will take place on Sunday evening 25 May from 17h30 to 19h followed by a reception.
- The Global Forum for Health Research will celebrate its 10th Anniversary on Monday from 17h45 to 19h30
- A special programme will take place on Tuesday 26 May at 19h to 21h30 with a videoconference with the Global Health Council in Washington D.C “Community Health : Engaging New Driving Forces”. Among the speakers, Sigrun Mogedal, HIV/AIDS Ambassador, NORAD, Ministry of Foreign Affaires, Norway and Frank K. Nyonator, Director, Policy, Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation Division, Ghana Health Service, Ghana.
Full information on the programme and registration
is available on www.genevahealthform.org. For more information on specific
aspects, please contact
Gabrielle Landry, Coordinator of the Geneva
Health Forum, Tel. 022 372 96 72, email
Gabrielle.landry@hcuge.ch
AgeQuake in Health Systems
A good example of the need to revisit health
system performance in the light of global
change is the rapid emergence of a global
ageing population. “Agequake” are the
words used by Ambassador Julia Alvarez at
the UN a decade ago to when calling the UN
to take this global phenomena seriously.
Never before has life expectancy in all groups
of society been as high, even in vulnerable or
fragile populations forcing policy-makers to
rethink the broader financial and health system.
Just a few example to illustrate :
- in 2007 Japan counted 30,000 centenarians, with now 4 to 5 generations living together, challenging the health care system and migration policy
- the increase in ageing prisoners in the world is revolutionizing the prisons management and financial system,
- life expectancy with diseases has also challenged the legislative system by bringing new groups of pensioners to claim health and pension benefits the Netherlands has open its first pensioner house for retired junkies, the first couple affected by the Down Syndrome a few years ago in Switzerland made the case for new legislation, etc.
