Request for Proposals! NHRC Undergraduate, Graduate and Provincial Research Grant 2080
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Request for Proposals! NHRC Undergraduate, Graduate and Provincial Research Grant 2080

by Public Health Update
written by Public Health Update

The Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC) invites application from the eligible candidates for NHRC Undergraduate, Graduate Research Grant 2080 and NHRC Provincial Research Grant 2080.

NHRC Provincial Research Grant: The Purpose of NHRC Provincial Research Grant Request for Proposal is to support innovate research projects on health from eligible Nepali citizens.

NHRC Undergraduate, Graduate Research Grant: The purpose of NHRC under-graduate and post-graduate grant RFP is to support innovative research project on health, medical and health related subjects from eligible candidates.

Application Instructions:

Application can be submitted electronically at the email (grant.nhrc@gmail.com) of Capacity Building Section of the NHRC.

Required documents:

  • Research proposal as per given format,
  • CV of Principal Investigator (PI),
  • A copy of citizenship of PI and recommendation letter.

Application deadline: 24 December 2024.

More Information: NHRC Website

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Guideline for Medical Treatment of Deprived Citizens (Bipanna Nagarik Ausadi Upachar) Program
Public Health

Guideline for Medical Treatment of Deprived Citizens (Bipanna Nagarik Ausadi Upachar) Program

by Public Health Update
written by Public Health Update

The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) has endorsed program implementation guidelines for the Medical Treatment of Deprived Citizens. This program provides benefits to poorer citizens for the treatment of heart diseases, kidney diseases, cancer, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, spinal injury, head injury, and sickle cell anemia.

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List of Hospitals for Medical Treatment of Deprived Citizens (Bipanna Nagarik Kosh)

Guideline for Medical Treatment of Deprived Citizens

[MEC id=”77411″]
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COP28
Environmental Health & Climate ChangeGlobal Health NewsPublic Health NewsPublic Health UpdateWorld News

COP28: Summary of the initiatives and financial commitments for climate and health

by Public Health Update
written by Public Health Update

Today the COP28 Presidency joined with the World Health Organization to announce a new ‘COP28 UAE Declaration on Climate and Health’ (the Declaration) to accelerate actions to protect people’s health from growing climate impacts. The Declaration was announced at the World Climate Action Summit, where world leaders have gathered for the start of COP28.

A set of new finance commitments on climate and health was announced to back up these political commitments, including a USD 300 million commitment by the Global Fund to prepare health systems, USD 100 million by the Rockefeller Foundation to scale up climate and health solutions, and an announcement by the UK Government of up to GBP 54 million. The Declaration is announced ahead of the first ever Health Day at a COP and joins a series of announcements made during the World Climate Action Summit to keep 1.5C within reach.

  • The Asian Development Bank announced the launch of a new Climate and Health Initiative, dedicating an initial allocation of $7 million in seed funding over the coming year to jump-start i) knowledge generation, 2) innovative financing, 3) country capacity building, 4) strategic partnerships, 5) incubating innovations, and 6) high level advocacy on climate change and health. The Initiative, housed at ADB, is expected to catalyze at least $10 for each $1 of seed investments through co-financing and co-investments. The Initiative is one of ADB’s priorities under its 2023 – 2030 Climate Change Action Plan that will provide $120 million in climate finance. In addition, ADB has committed to a target of at least 15% of its annual health portfolio to support climate-focused projects, a commitment which will mobilize significant resources for climate and health actions in the coming years.
  • The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced $57.95 million towards climate and health. This includes a $50 million investment over the coming four years to support climate-focused malaria efforts to better understand, detect and respond to changing vector habitat and endemicity ranges, and to develop new tools and strategies to respond to climate-related changes and disruptions in the malaria response. In addition, the Foundation will contribute $7.95 million to a Grand Challenges Request for Proposal focused on transdisciplinary approaches to better adapt to, mitigate, or reverse the combined deleterious effects of climate change on health and agriculture. This includes early warning and disease surveillance to respond to climate-event-driven surges in malaria and other vector borne diseases, as well as improved mapping of expanded vector ranges and vector-borne disease transmission.
  • Wellcome Trust announced it will be spending £100mn in the coming year alone supporting research to understand and address the climate change health crisis, especially to support actions that benefit the most affected people and communities. The aim of this investment is to put health research at the heart of climate decision-making, building momentum for healthy global climate mitigation and adaptation action.
  • Bloomberg Philanthropies, Clean Air Fund and C40 Cities, announced an initial eleven cities to join the Breathe Cities Initiative – an ambitious new $30 million clean air initiative to accelerate progress, break down barriers to action, and ensure communities around the world have access to clean air. The selected cities will receive support to enhance air quality data, community engagement, and policy development with an aim of reducing air pollution 30% by 2030 and preventing nearly 40,000 premature deaths in selected cities.
  • The Rockefeller Foundation announced at COP28 a $100 million commitment to advancing climate and health solutions, re-imagining the Foundation’s 110-year legacy in global health for the climate era. This announcement, the first by the Foundation on climate and health, advances the Guiding Principles for Financing Climate and Health Solutions which the Foundation co-convened together with the COP28 Presidency, World Health Organization, Green Climate Fund, and the Global Fund. This announcement is part of the Foundation’s Climate Strategy, announced in September, to mobilize $1 billion over the coming five years to advance the global climate transition and help ensure everyone can participate in it. The investment will focus on community driven innovations in low- and middle-income countries that either mitigate or enable people to adapt to the effects of climate change on their health.
  • The UK will provide up to £18m to support partner countries to assess vulnerability, identify priority actions and support planning, with a view to mobilise the necessary financial and expert resources to increase investments to adapt and strengthen health systems to better cope with the impacts of climate change. This is the first such climate-health programme announced by a G7 country. Furthermore, 20% of the £80 million the UK pledged to the Global Financing Facility in October, that operates in about 40 countries, will be spent on climate and health. Recognising the fast-evolving agenda and need for a stronger evidence base of what works to address the accelerating threats from climate change to health, we are also designing a new £20m research programme that will build on UK experience and beyond. This is in addition to the existing £20million action orientated climate and health research programme launched at COP26 through the National Institute for Health and Care Research. Projects under this programme will begin work in 2024, and will aim to generate evidence to strengthen health service delivery and resilience in low and middle income countries in the context of extreme weather events, through equitable partnerships between leading UK research institutions and partners in Africa, South and South-East Asia. We will continue to encourage and work with partners internationally to build a healthier future for all.
  • Foundation S is committed to raising awareness of the impact of climate change on health and to accelerating global financial support for climate adaptation in countries where climate change is already a reality.  Foundation S has pledged $42 million through 2030 to support community-led adaptation solutions to climate change, following the “Time to Adapt” Report issued by Foundation S’s think-tank, The Collective MindS Climate Council. This funding will go to local organizations and social innovators on the frontlines of the climate crisis, creating sustainable solutions leveraging public-private partnerships with local actors. Building on this, Foundation S is also pleased to support a new public-private effort to strengthen community resilience against the health implications of climate change, in collaboration with the Global Grand Challenges Africa, Rwanda, Brazil, Ethiopia and India, alongside the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Wellcome. The results of this work will help facilitate the much-needed evidence and data required to support innovative approaches for climate adaptation at the local level – and address the critical intersection of climate change, health, agriculture, and gender.
  • AVPN and Bayer Foundation announced a partnership to tackle the intersectionality of climate and health. This partnership will build the ecosystem infrastructure for Asian funders of all types to find collaborative pathways to developing their intersectional climate-health strategies, ensuring the agendas are locally owned and led while enhancing the likelihood of successful deployment of capital. The program will increase awareness of climate and health among social investors in Asia, build a shared understanding of principles for financing climate and health solutions to enable a catalytic role for capital from philanthropy to blended finance, spotlight local innovative solutions and mobilize capital into investable projects marketplace for Asia, amplify Asian led climate and health initiatives, and enhance visibility for pathfinder partners and their work to attract future collaborations.
  • The Global Grand Challenges network of partners will announce a joint funding call of approximately $12 million to support innovators addressing the critical intersection of climate change, health, agriculture, and gender. The partners include Science for Africa Foundation-Grand Challenges Africa; Grand Challenges Rwanda; Grand Challenges Brazil; Grand Challenges Ethiopia; and Grand Challenges India in partnership with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome, Foundation S-The Sanofi Collective S, Rockefeller Foundation and Pasteur Network. This funding follows a 2022 climate and health call for applications by Grand Challenges Canada and the South African Medical Research Council-Grand Challenges South Africa.
  • United States announces $3 billion commitment to the Green Climate Fund, the largest international fund dedicated to climate action.
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COP28 UAE Climate and Health Declaration
Environmental Health & Climate ChangeGlobal Health NewsPublic Health NewsPublic Health UpdateWorld News

COP28 UAE Climate and Health Declaration: Putting Health at the Heart of the Climate Agenda

by Public Health Update
written by Public Health Update

Historic Focus on Climate Health Impacts

The ‘Putting Health at the Center of Climate Agenda’ session of the World Climate Action Summit on 2nd December, combined multiple transformative climate health announcements to drive down emissions and protect health globally. Announcements included the unveiling of the Climate and Health Declaration, climate health financing from partners, and transformative Guiding Principles for Financing Climate and Health Solutions established to protect health.

The First Health Day at a COP

Climate change is one of the greatest threats to human health in the 21st century. COP28 will be the first COP to host a Health Day and climateministerial at a COP on December 3rd. At the first ever Health Day, participants will progress solutions to reduce carbon emissions, limiting air pollution, and preventing premature deaths.

Global Action to Address Climate Health Impacts

  • Endorsements from 123 countries for COP28 UAE’s Climate and Health Declaration
  • 41 endorsements from key partners of the Guiding Principles for Financing Climate and Health Solutions
  • Funders announce over $1bn funding to address the climate health crisis.

COP28 UAE Declaration on Climate and Health

We, on the occasion of the first Health Day at the 28th UN Climate Change Conference (COP28), express our grave concern about the negative impacts of climate change on health. We stress the importance of addressing the interactions between climate change and human health and wellbeing in the context of the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement, as the primary international, intergovernmental fora for the global response to climate change.

We recognize the urgency of taking action on climate change, and note the benefits for health from deep, rapid, and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, including from just transitions, lower air pollution, active mobility, and shifts to sustainable healthy diets.

In this year of the first Global Stocktake, and given the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, which
strained all health systems and further widened inequities and vulnerabilities within and among countries,
regions and populations, we are committed to the advancement of climate-resilient development, the
strengthening of health systems, and the building of resilient and thriving communities, for the benefit of
present and future generations.

In order to work towards ensuring better health outcomes, including through the transformation of health systems to be climate-resilient, low-carbon, sustainable and equitable, and to better prepare communities and the most vulnerable populations for the impacts of climate change, we commit to pursuing the following common objectives:

  • Strengthening the development and implementation of policies that maximize the health gains from mitigation and adaptation actions and prevent worsening health impacts from climate change, including through close partnerships with Indigenous Peoples, local communities, women and girls, children and youth, healthcare workers and practitioners, persons with disabilities and the populations most vulnerable to the health impacts of climate change, among others.
  • Facilitating collaboration on human, animal, environment and climate health challenges, such as by implementing a One Health approach; addressing the environmental determinants of health; strengthening research on the linkages between environmental and climatic factors and antimicrobial resistance; and intensifying efforts for the early detection of zoonotic spill-overs as an effective means of pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
  • Recognizing that healthy populations contribute to, and are an effect of, climate resilience and an outcome of successful adaptation across a range of sectors – including food and agriculture, water and sanitation, housing, urban planning, health care, transport and energy – by prioritizing and implementing adaptation actions across sectors that deliver positive health outcomes.
  • Improving the ability of health systems to anticipate, and implement adaptation interventions against, climate sensitive disease and health risks, including by bolstering climate-health information services, surveillance, early warning and response systems and a climate-ready health workforce.
  • Promoting a comprehensive response to address the impacts of climate change on health, including, for example, mental health and psychosocial wellbeing, loss of traditional medicinal knowledge, loss of livelihoods and culture, and climate-induced displacement and migration.
  • Combating inequalities within and among countries, and pursuing policies that work towards accelerating achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG3; reduce poverty and hunger; improve health and livelihoods; strengthen social protection systems, food security and improved nutrition, access to clean sources of energy, safe drinking water, and sanitation and hygiene for all; and work to achieve
  • universal health coverage.
  • Promoting steps to curb emissions and reduce waste in the health sector, such as by assessing the greenhouse gas emissions of health systems, and developing action plans, nationally determined decarbonization targets, and procurement standards for national health systems, including supply chains.
  • Strengthening trans- and inter-disciplinary research, cross-sectoral collaboration, sharing of best practices, and monitoring of progress at the climate-health nexus, including through initiatives such as the Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH).

Recognizing that health actors face challenges in accessing finance for health and climate change activities, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, we underscore the need to better leverage synergies at the intersection of climate change and health to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of finance flows.

  • Encouraging the scaling up of investments in climate and health from domestic budgets, multilateral development banks, multilateral climate funds, health financing institutions, philanthropies, bilateral development agencies, and private sector actors.
  • Encouraging international finance providers, including development banks, to strengthen the synergies between their climate and health portfolios, and enhance their support for country-led projects and programs in the health-climate nexus.
  • Sharing learnings and best practices on financing and implementing climate-health interventions, and develop a common understanding of existing needs for climate-health finance, grounded in country priorities and needs. We welcome ongoing efforts in this regard, including by the COP28 presidency, the ATACH finance working group, and the joint Development Bank working group for climate-health financing.
  • Improving monitoring, transparency and evaluation efforts of climate finance, as relevant, including for climate health initiatives, in order to strengthen common understanding of its efficiency and effectiveness, and to maximize the delivery of positive health outcomes.

To achieve these aims – according to our national circumstances – we commit to pursuing the better integration of health considerations into our climate policy processes, and of climate considerations across our health policy agendas, including by:

  • Incorporating health considerations in the context of relevant Paris Agreement and UNFCCC processes, with a view to minimizing adverse effects on public health, and mainstreaming climate considerations in global health work programs, including those of the World Health Organization, where relevant and appropriate.
  • Taking health into account, as appropriate, in designing the next round of nationally determined contributions, long term low greenhouse gas emission development strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications.

We commit to convene regularly with diverse line-ministries and stakeholders to foster synergies and strengthen national and multilateral collaboration on climate change and health, including through the ATACH initiative. We will review our collective progress at future UN Climate Change Conferences, World Health Assemblies, and other global convenings.

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Guiding Principles for Financing Climate and Health Solutions
Environmental Health & Climate ChangeGlobal Health NewsPublic HealthPublic Health NewsPublic Health UpdateWorld News

Guiding Principles for Financing Climate and Health Solutions

by Public Health Update
written by Public Health Update

41 funders, partners endorse new guiding principles for financing climate and health solutions to protect health

Guiding Principles respond to low- and middle-income countries’ calls to mobilize finance to save lives now and in the future as the climate crisis threatens global health.

A consortium of multilateral development banks and funders, countries and philanthropies today published the Guiding Principles for Financing Climate and Health Solutions(“Guiding Principles”), announced at the World Climate Action Summit during the 28th session of Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC (COP28) in Dubai.

The Guiding Principles were developed by the COP28 Presidency in partnership with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, the Green Climate Fund, The Rockefeller Foundation, and the World Health Organization, and in consultation with country partners, financing institutions, private sector partners, and civil society organizations.

Guiding Principles for Financing Climate and Health Solutions

Climate change is one of the greatest health challenges of our time. It is destabilizing health systems, deepening inequities, undermining the social, environmental, and economic foundations of good health, and, ultimately, threatens the lives, health, and wellbeing of communities around the world. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that 3.3 billion people worldwide are highly vulnerable to climate change and face greater health risks as a result. There are profound inequities in the burden of climate health risks and impacts, in the ability to adapt to climate change, and in access to finance, with low- and middle-income countries and vulnerable and marginalized communities most deeply affected.

It is imperative that we protect people from the harmful health impacts of climate change by pursuing ambitious mitigation and adaptation goals, preventing the worst climate risks, and building climate resilient communities including critical water, food, and health systems, in line with the Paris Agreement and the “right to health” acknowledged within it. Insufficient, fragmented, and inaccessible financing currently jeopardizes such action.

There are opportunities across sectors from health and energy systems to economic development, agriculture, gender, and beyond to advance climate and health solutions. Financing partners including development banks, multilateral funds, national governments, philanthropies, and the private sector, play a key role in each of these spaces and thus have a tremendous opportunity to safeguard human health through coordinated action in partnership with countries and communities.

In recognition of the vital need for financing to prevent and protect against the health risks of climate change, and in alignment with the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, Paris Agreement, and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and wider efforts to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and equity of financing for health and for climate, we support the following guiding principles for financing climate and health solutions:

Accelerate transformative climate and health solutions to save and improve lives now and in the future.

Early action is essential to address existing health burdens and frailties in health systems, and to curtail emissions to avoid worsening climate risks and the surpassing of adaptation limits. Priority areas include: Rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions to improve health, including through rapid transitions away from fossil fuels, lower air pollution, active mobility, shifts to sustainable diets, and limiting climate change. Implement proactive public health and adaptation measures to build healthy, resilient,adapted communities and protect people from the range of climate risks to health, with an emphasis on the most impacted communities. Build stronger, resilient, and environmentally sustainable health systems, including by delivering universal health coverage and high-quality care to all in a changing climate, enhancing the sector’s preparedness and adaptive capacity, and aligning the sector with global climate ambition by reducing the climate footprint of the health sector.

Support the health and climate priorities of the most impacted countries and communities

as identified in country-led plans and through partnership with communities, civil society, academia, and local governments. Elevate country ownership and leadership including through support to countries to develop and integrate climate health strategies within national plans and policies. Collaborate with countries to support resource mobilization and leverage national and international finance for climate and health solutions, respecting countries’ differentiated needs and contexts.

Promote an inclusive and equitable approach to financing climate and health solutions.

Meaningfully engage communities and civil society partners in the co-design, development, implementation, and monitoring of finance. Focus resources in the most vulnerable and impacted communities and invest directly in civil society and community-led solutions.

Mobilize a suite of financing from all partners.

Ensure the development of sustainable, resilient, and adaptive systems that can develop and deliver on climate and health plans. Enable the human, technological, social, and other resources needed to ensure the long-term impact of investments in climate and health solutions.

Embed climate and health goals across financing strategies.

targeting finance towards solutions with the greatest positive impact on human lives and wellbeing, based on evidence. Consider the health impacts of climate mitigation and adaptation in all sectors to prioritize solutions that promote health and avoid maladaptation or the deepening of health risks. Leverage health finance to advance climate mitigation and adaptation in the health sector. Maximize the climate and health gains of investments to support efficiencies in light of resource and fiscal constraints.

Enhance equitable access to finance.

including through simplified processes that are coherent, transparent, and predictable, and that increase the accessibility, effectiveness, and speed of finance, while continuing to uphold robust fiduciary, environmental, and social safeguards.

Support holistic approaches.

that address compounding climate, health, and development challenges in integrated, not isolated, ways. Foster dialogue and partnership between diverse health and climate stakeholders, including multi-sector financing institutions, to optimally use resources for large-scale impact.

Support innovation and scientific research and development.

Close the gaps on evidence-based and scalable solutions and accelerate the deployment of proven, locally appropriate best practices. Coordinate across sectors to expand climate and health solutions and evaluate their impact, recognizing the urgent need to take early and transformative action.

Promote the alignment of financing for climate and health solutions with broader efforts to transform the international financing system.

including by enabling fiscal reform and promoting the move away from subsidies that are harmful for health and the environment.

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COP28
Environmental Health & Climate ChangeGlobal Health NewsPublic Health NewsPublic Health UpdateWorld News

Global health community calls for urgent action on climate and health at COP28

by Public Health Update
written by Public Health Update

In the run-up to COP28, the World Health Organization (WHO) together with the global health community, is raising its voice to ensure that the impact of climate change on health takes centre stage in the negotiations. It is imperative to broaden the focus to human health in global discussions, leaving no room for excuses, and compelling negotiators to recognize that they bear the responsibility for the well-being of our most invaluable asset: the health of populations worldwide.

“Prioritizing health is not just a choice; it is the foundation of resilient societies,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Leaders must deliver in Dubai, providing the strong health outcomes their peoples expect and their economies urgently need. We must change the conversation and demonstrate the massive benefits of bolder climate action on our health and well-being.”

The extreme weather events around the world in recent months offer a terrifying glimpse of what lies ahead in a rapidly heating world. The IPCC report says about 3.5 billion people – nearly half of humanity – live in areas highly vulnerable to climate change. Heat-related deaths among those aged over 65 years have risen by 70% worldwide in two decades, according to WHO’s figures. Only a dramatic and dedicated effort to limit warming to 1.5 °C will prevent a future much worse than what we see now.

Increasingly frequent and severe extreme weather events, such as droughts, floods and heatwaves, will also strain healthcare infrastructure. Last year’s floods in Pakistan displaced 8 million people and affected 33 million overall. Forecasts from the World Bank indicate that without bold and immediate action, climate change could displace approximately 216 million people by 2050.

As the climate crisis jeopardizes lives and livelihoods, global food systems struggle to sustain a growing population, and compromised water sources compound the challenges. In parallel, climate change is catalyzing a surge in infectious diseases like dengue and cholera, endangering millions. Now is the time for decisive and collaborative action to mitigate the health impacts of the climate crisis and build a sustainable future for all.

As climate change poses an unprecedented challenge to health systems worldwide, it is also imperative that we strengthen our systems to be resilient, low carbon and sustainable. Failure to act swiftly will render health systems worldwide vulnerable to the overwhelming impacts of climate change.

Climate change is not a distant threat; it is a present danger affecting our health on multiple fronts. The health community asserts that climate change is already affecting our health, contributing to the spread of infectious diseases and vector-borne illnesses. There is an urgent need for negotiators to comprehend that climate change is a direct threat to global health that can no longer be ignored or downplayed.

Adapting our health systems means upgrading key interventions such as vector control, epidemiological surveillance, and access to safe water and sanitation. Additionally, the training of health staff is crucial, and support is needed to align health systems with the guidance included in WHO’s operational framework for building climate resilient and low carbon health systems.

To reduce the negative impact on health, the health community stresses the importance of reducing and stopping emissions. According to WHO, 7 million premature deaths annually are attributed to air pollution. Urgent mitigation measures, including transitioning to clean energy sources, are necessary to protect human health and create sustainable outcomes.

The health community recognizes the role health systems play in contributing to emissions, and advocates for greening the health sector. This involves decarbonizing health systems, digitalizing medicine and implementing sustainable practices in hospitals and health-care facilities to significantly reduce the 5% global emissions attributed to the health sector.

Over 1 billion people worldwide are served by health-care facilities with unreliable electricity or no electricity at all. For low-income countries lacking access to electricity, the health community calls for an acceleration of access to clean energy. WHO is working with partners to accelerate electrification of health-care facilities through renewable energies and to harmonize medical supplies and lead a transformative change towards cleaner energy sources, better services and reduced reliance on diesel and gas.

Recognizing the financial disparity in health systems

Acknowledging the financial gap in health systems, the health community calls for increased financing from new sources. The plea is to divest from and end subsidies for fossil fuels, and to mobilize new funds to support health systems in coping with climate change.

The WHO-led Alliance for Transformative Action on Climate and Health (ATACH) is dedicated to realizing the goals set at COP26 by leveraging the collective influence of WHO Member States and stakeholders to advance climate-resilient health systems. ATACH also focuses on identifying financing needs.

With the health sector grappling with unprecedented challenges, it is imperative to address the glaring disparity in financial support. Currently, the sector receives a mere 0.5% of global climate financing. To effectively confront the many challenges ahead – from the ongoing global health crisis to the ever-evolving landscape of medical research and technological advancements – a substantial increase in resources is not only warranted but essential. By multiplying financial support, we can strengthen the sector’s ability to innovate, adapt and provide optimal care, ensuring a resilient healthcare infrastructure for the challenges of today and the uncertainties of tomorrow.

WHO urgent call for climate and health action at COP28

As the world unites at COP28, the health community calls for decisive action. We urge negotiators to recognize that climate action is health action, and failure to address this reality will have profound consequences for the well-being of current and future generations.

The WHO call to action unites the health community in demanding a commitment to building resilient health systems, reducing emissions, and prioritizing health. The first-ever Health Day is set to elevate the global profile of the climate and health nexus and integrate health within the climate change agenda.

Health Day and Ministerial session

The first-ever Health Day is set to elevate the global profile of the climate and health nexus and integrate health within the climate change agenda. For the very first time, a record number of health ministers will be attending COP28. The presence of a significant number of health ministers underscores the commitment to prioritize health in the context of climate discussions and reinforces our commitment to creating a healthier and more sustainable future. The Ministerial session promises to amplify the urgency for action by bringing together global leaders to implement sustainable solutions. This historic gathering will focus on addressing the crucial intersection of health and climate change.

The legacy of COP 28 will be a commitment to a healthier planet, where the health arguments for climate action are not just heard but lead to tangible results.

News release/WHO

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Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) Youth Forum 2024
Grants and Funding OpportunitiesInternational Jobs & OpportunitiesOpportunities by RegionPublic Health OpportunitiesPublic Health Opportunity

Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) Youth Forum 2024

by Public Health Update
written by Public Health Update

The Asia Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) Youth Forum 2024 will be organised ahead of APFSD 2024 by co-conveners, Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW), Youth LEAD, and Y-PEER Asia Pacific Centre in partnership with the Right Here Right Now Global Partnership, Asia Pacific Regional CSOs Engagement Mechanism (APRCEM) and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP), and in co-collaboration with the Major Group for Children and Youth, and the Children and Youth Major Group to UNEP.

This year, the Youth Forum will be held in a hybrid modality from February 15–17, 2024, with the theme, “Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises: The effective delivery of sustainable, resilient and innovative solutions with young people at the forefront.” The forum will bring together youth-led and youth-serving organisations representing adolescents and youth in all their diversities under the age of 30 to discuss and deliberate on the theme of the 11th APFSD.

The forum aims to:

  • Ensure young people’s voices and their realities are included in setting the regional agenda on sustainable development through the development of the Regional Youth Call to Action;
  • Empower young people through meaningful interactions and conversations between various stakeholders, including UN agencies, Member States, and youth-led and youth-serving organisations, to realise the commitments around the SDGs;
  • Approach the sustainable development agenda with an intersectional, youth, human rights, and justice lens to address systemic and structural issues affecting the realisation of the SDGs in the region;
  • Create a platform for young people for learning, sharing, capacity strengthening, and meaningful engagement;
  • Review the previous AFPSD Regional Youth Declaration and push forward advocacy at the national level.

Key cluster goals under discussion include SDG 1 (No poverty), SDG 2 (Zero hunger), SDG 13 (Climate action), SDG 16 (Peace, justice and strong institutions), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

APPLICATION IS OPEN TO THOSE WHO ARE:

  • Between 13 and 30 years of age.
  • Is progressive and believes in human rights-based approaches.
  • Demonstrates unique strengths in the application that are relevant to the SDGs under review as part of the 11th APFSD.
  • Shows understanding of SDGs at the country or regional level.
  • Individuals from marginalised or socially excluded groups, communities, and applications from far-to-reach places will be prioritised to ensure diversity and inclusion in participation at the APFSD Youth Forum.
  • Considerations will also be given to the individuals who have been part of previous APFSD Youth Forums, contributed to previous APFSD Call to Action, or have attended the intergovernmental APFSD in the past.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

  • Application deadline: 31 December 2022 (12 Midnight, Thailand time)
  • Please mention if you require interpretation services or have accessibility needs in the application form. Conveners of the Youth Forum will try and accommodate your request to the best of our ability.
  • If you are below 18 and you are selected to participate in the Youth Forum, you will be requested to provide consent from your parent/guardian in the later processes.
  • If you have any questions, contact us at apfsdyouthforum@arrow.org.my.

Application link

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Nepal Health Facts Sheet 2023
Public Health

Nepal Health Facts Sheet 2023

by Public Health Update
written by Public Health Update

The Nepal Health Facts Sheet 2023 presents the key achievements of health programs in the fiscal year 2079/80. The report highlights key milestones, providing a condensed narrative of the progression of the health sector in Nepal.

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Progress of Health and Population Sector 2022/23 (2079/80 BS)
Health SystemsPublic HealthReportsResearch & Publication

Progress of Health and Population Sector 2022/23 (2079/80 BS)

by Public Health Update
written by Public Health Update

National Joint Annual Review (JAR) Report

The National Joint Annual Review (JAR) Report highlights major progress of health and population sector against the NHSS priority interventions under each of the nine outcomes over the NHSS implementation period (2015/16- 2022/23) including the last fiscal year 2022/23.

The report also presents progress against the action points of the last NJAR, and health related action points of policy and programme and Budget Speech. It summarises lessons learnt and suggests the way forward in alignment with the strategic objectives of the new sectoral strategic plan 2023-2030, endorsed in June 2023. The primary objective of this report is to inform the discussions during the NJAR 2023.

Summary will be updated soon.

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National Antimicrobial Treatment Guidelines 2023
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)National Plan, Policy & GuidelinesPublic Health UpdateResearch & Publication

National Antimicrobial Treatment Guidelines 2023

by Public Health Update
written by Public Health Update

Overview

The Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) Nepal has released new guidelines on the National Antimicrobial Treatment Guidelines 2023. The National Antibiotic Treatment Guideline was initially released by the MoHP in 2014.

National Antibiotic Treatment Guideline-2014

The new guidelines aimed to address the emergence and spread of resistance, optimize the use of available antimicrobial agents, reduce selection pressure through appropriate control measures, change the behavior of prescribers and communities to ensure rational use, and combat AMR through nationally coordinated efforts. The updated version of the National Antimicrobial Treatment Guidelines aims to provide prescribers with the necessary guidance on selecting the right drug, dose, and duration for commonly encountered infectious conditions in Nepal.

The document incorporates the cumulative antibiogram from national AMR surveillance data, considers the availability and affordability of drugs in Nepal, references the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM), and consults other national and international protocols and guidelines. Efforts have been made to prioritize antibiotics from the “Access” group (as per the WHO AWaRe Classification of antibiotics) as the first-line therapy whenever possible. It should be noted that this document adopts the WHO’s AWaRe classification.

Scope of the guideline

  • This document provides information to healthcare workers on the rational use of antibiotics for empirical or definitive treatment of commonly encountered infections in Nepal, as well as various prophylactic measures. However, it is not exhaustive and excludes infections for which national treatment protocols already exist.
  • This document will be regularly updated as new data becomes available.

Objectives

  • To offer guidance for the optimal use of antimicrobials in various infectious conditions and for prophylactic purposes, taking into account the cumulative antibiogram from National AMR surveillance.
  • To promote the preferential use of antimicrobials from the “Access” group, while ensuring judicious use of those from the “Watch” and “Reserve” groups.
Screen Shot 2023 11 21 at 20.36.50
Antimicrobial Stewardship
General Principles

Empirical Therapy – Antibiotic treatment is considered empirical when it is administered in the absence of microbiological confirmation or while awaiting pending reports. Reevaluation of empirical antibiotics must be conducted after 48-72 hours and once the reports become available.

Important considerations

Determine if antibiotic therapy is necessary. Discontinue if the cause is determined to be non-infectious. Seek assistance
from the Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) team within the institution, if available.
Evaluate the possibility of using a narrow-spectrum antibiotic based on the reports. Consider de-escalating the antibiotics based on the clinical condition and available reports.

  • Assess if switching to monotherapy is appropriate (if initially using a combination).
  • Evaluate the feasibility of changing the route of administration to oral.
  • Adjust the dosage based on renal and hepatic functions, if necessary.
  • Check for potential drug interactions with other medications being used.
  • Determine if any laboratory parameters need monitoring during therapy.

These recommendations serve as a treatment guide and do not replace the clinical judgment of the responsible physician after a comprehensive assessment of each individual case.

Prescriptions should clearly include

  • Indication for antibiotic use.
  • Formulation; Capsule/Tablet or Injection.
  • Route of administration (e.g., IM or IV), infusion rate for IV, and dosing.
  • Start date, review date, stop date, or duration.

Consider implementing transmission-based precautions and isolation for patients with infectious diseases and drugresistant organisms such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), drug-resistant tuberculosis (DRTB), Clostridioides difficile, etc.

Precautions to observe

  • Standard precautions: Practice proper hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, sharps safety, safe injection practices, use sterile instruments and devices, maintain clean and disinfected environmental surfaces, and use gloves and protective clothings. Use mouth, nose, and eye protection during procedures.
  • Contact precautions: Ensure appropriate patient placement, limit patient transport, use disposable or dedicated equipment, perform cleaning and disinfection of the room, and use gloves gown.
  • Droplet precautions: Have patients wear masks for source control, ensure appropriate patient placement, limit patient transport, and provide masks for healthcare personnel.
  • Airborne precautions: Ensure patients wear masks for source control, place them in isolation rooms, limit patient transport, restrict susceptible healthcare personnel from entering the room, and have healthcare personnel wear N-95 masks or higher level respirators.

Please note that these precautions are subject to local guidelines and protocols and may require additional measures based on the specific circumstances.

Download: National Antimicrobial Treatment Guidelines 2023

Download: National Antimicrobial Treatment Guidelines 2023

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