Public Mental Health – An Opportunity for Collaboration between WFPHA & WPA

The scission between mental and physical health is an artificial one. In a lot of places worldwide, both sides of health are separated. Mental health is also an issue for public health worldwide.

On February 15, 2023, at 12:00 (CET), the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) and the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) will start a discussion about the possible interactions and support that both public health and mental health can create to further global health.

Participation is free, but registration is mandatory. Save your spot by clicking on the link below.

#WorldinTurmoil: Global Health Leaders Urged to Learn from Recent History in Afghanistan and to Work for Peace, for Health

Conflicts are ravaging the world and not enough is being done.

Dr Wahid Majrooh, Former Minister of Public Health of Afghanistan, shares his firsthand experience on how the conflict in Afghanistan has affected the health system.

Through his article, Dr Majrooh shares his hope that what happened in Afghanistan will serve both as a warning and a calling to the global community to put an end to conflict and to work towards building peace and health for all.

By clicking on the link below, you can read the article on the Croakey Health Media website.

This article is published as part of the #WorldinTurmoil series.

Protecting Health Workforce: Recommendations to Develop & Implement Dedicated Vaccination Programs in LIC & LMIC

Protecting health workers through appropriate vaccination is critical to protect them and our communities, and also, to avoid overburdening the health system.

Vaccine delivery relies on existing immunization infrastructure. However, worldwide nearly 40% of countries lack adult immunization infrastructure, and nearly 60% of the world’s population lives in countries without routine adult immunization programs. This is also true for health workers.

COVID-19 vaccines are administered in many Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LICs and LMICs) that lack infrastructure for routine adult immunization. This also means lack of mobilization and awareness, poor capacity for vaccine storage, handling, delivery and waste management for this category. To administer COVID-19 vaccines to adult populations, the necessary infrastructure and related activities are being developed. We should take advantage of this momentum to support sustainable development of infrastructure and measures to ensure vaccination across the lifespan, going beyond the COVID-19 vaccine, starting with the healthcare workforce.

On February 28, 2023, at 09:30 (CET), key recommendations on how to develop, implement, and strengthen the vaccination program for health workers in LICs and LMICs will be presented and discussed by experts from different countries.

Participation is free, but registration is mandatory. Save your spot by clicking on the link below.

#WorldinTurmoil: A Reflections on Public Health, the Pandemic, and the Importance of Building Trust

Prof. Ilona Kickbusch, Founding Director and Chair of the Global Health Centre at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, is interviewed by Prof. Bettina Borisch, Executive Director of the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA), and shares her thoughts on why politics and public health must go hand in hand, what the weaknesses of public health are and what can be done to strengthen it, the role and needs of young people in public health, and, last but not least, how and where health is created.

By clicking on the link below, you can read the article on the Croakey Health Media website.

Watch the interview by clicking on the link below.

This article is published as part of the #WorldinTurmoil series.

Interview

What Is the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) Doing?

At a special session of the World Health Assembly, which took place in December 2021, the WHO’s Member States decided to establish an Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB), representing all regions of the world. The INB is responsible for drafting and negotiating a convention, agreement, or other international instrument under the Constitution of the WHO to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (referred to as the WHO CA+).

In July 2022, during the second meeting of the INB, it was agreed that the WHO CA+ should contain both legally binding and non-legally binding elements. Also, the INB identified that Article 19 of the WHO Constitution is the comprehensive provision under which the instrument should be adopted.

In December 2022, during the third meeting of the INB, the Conceptual Zero Draft (CZD) of the WHO CA+, including its structure, was considered. Moreover, the way forward for the INB negotiation process, including development of a Zero Draft of the instrument was discussed. The INB agreed to develop the zero draft to start negotiations at the fourth INB meeting in February 2023.

WFPHA Condemns Attacks on Democracy in Brazil

On January 8, 2023, a week after Lula da Silva’s inauguration as the new president of Brazil, thousands of supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro invaded the country’s National Congress, the Presidential Palace and the Federal Supreme Court in the capital Brasília. Bolsonaro’s supporters are refusing to accept that he lost the election and asking for military intervention with Lula’s removal.

As it represents an attempt to incite the Armed Forces to lead the installation of a new dictatorship in Brazil, in total disregard of democratic principles, the WFPHA condemns this outrageous attack on government buildings in Brazil and declares its full support for the Brazilian public health community and Brazilian democrats in their fight for respect for democracy.