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 havenâ€...

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 ...

Fahdi Dkhimi (researcher in the Health Financing Unit of the Department of Public Health at ITM)   This week, the 10th World congress in Health Economics – organized jointly by the International Health Economists Association and the European Conference on Health Economics, gathered about 800 participants in Dublin around a promising thematic:...

Rachel Hammonds reflects on Monday’s half-day event at ODI exploring whether international aid can play a role in defending lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) rights in developing countries.   The 7 July Overseas Development Institute (ODI) conference addressing this issue was a lively, thought provoking event. The excellent chairing b...

This speech was given by professor Bart Criel (ITM) at the graduation ceremony of this year’s MPH students (July 3rd).   Dear Ladies and gentlemen, dear colleagues, dear MPH graduates, This ceremony for the 50th anniversary of our Master of Public Health (MPH) course is a time to celebrate, to acknowledge the achievements of the course, to th...