I always had trouble convincing my friends from the North how important an issue like responsiveness of human resources for health (HRH) is. I understand, though, it is very difficult for them to assess news articles like ‘Is there a cure for bad behavior: the toxic demeanor of many Bangladeshi doctors is a disease unto itself’, or ‘Patien...

This morning, I learnt from a somewhat similar-minded but slightly older colleague that the School of Life has ‘cheerful despair’ badges. They seem to sell well in our times. On a chilly December day like today, I tend to think we could use a few of these in global health as well. Indeed, our world has become so unpredictable and looks so d...

Earlier this month, I was shocked to see a headline in a leading national newspaper  stating how a recent doctors’ strike against the proposed medical establishment amendment bill in Karnataka had resulted in the death of six patients. Karnataka, one of the southern states in India, was first in the country when it announced its plan of rolli...

On 22nd and 23rd November 2017 at a special session of the Executive Board (EB) held in Geneva, WHO’s new Director-General (Dr. Tedros) presented and received comments from the Executive Board and other Member States on the organization’s draft strategy document – the 13th General Programme of Work (GPW). The GPW is meant to be a roadmap f...

2017: A year with multiple hurricanes of category 4-5 devastating Texas, Florida and the Caribbean islands; monsoon floods displacing millions and killing thousands in South Asia; record wildfires burning ~8.5 mn acres of land in the western US, leaving people around Oregon, Washington and California choking on dangerous levels of smoke; and Del...

Loss of freedom of mobility makes me uncomfortable and claustrophobic. A few years ago, on my first day as a student in Europe, I took a walk at 0100hrs. Not because I had to be someplace. But because I could. Of course. No place, and no one is immune from sexual abuse. As the Harvey Weinstein saga of sexual harassment unfolded over a month ago ...

On a cold Monday (November 13th), I had the opportunity to attend the 2017 Academy of Medical Sciences and The Lancet International Health Lecture, by Dr. Samuel Myers, who is Director of the Planetary Health Alliance and affiliated to the Harvard School of Public Health. The lecture took place in London, one of my favourite cities. In the very ...

On a rainy, misty day I found myself travelling early in the morning to Bonn, Germany. The former capital of West Germany (for the younger readers of this blog ) hosts this year’s annual global climate change negotiations, the 23rd Conference of the Parties (COP 23) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). My des...

Just like management gurus, we in the health sector can produce our own checklists. What do successful health programmes have in common? Inspired by a visit to Ethiopia’s health extension worker programme, here are my top-ten habits of a successful health programme. What are yours?   Committed leadership It is a cliché, but the mobilisation...