Singapore International Graduate Award (SINGA)
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Singapore International Graduate Award (SINGA) 2023

by Public Health Update
written by Public Health Update

The Singapore International Graduate Award (SINGA) is a collaboration between the Agency for Science, Technology & Research (A*STAR), the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), the National University of Singapore (NUS), the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and the Singapore Management University (SMU).

PhD training will be carried out in English at your chosen lab at A*STAR Research Institutes, NTU, NUS, SUTD or SMU. Students will be supervised by distinguished and world-renowned researchers in these labs. Upon successful completion, students will be conferred a PhD degree by either NTU, NUS, SUTD or SMU.

Singapore is the gateway to some of the fastest-growing economies in the Asia Pacific region. And with SINGA, you can pursue your PhD education in Singapore, establish global links and take your research career to greater heights.

SINGA fosters a vibrant and culturally diverse research community of international students. You’ll be working in a multi-cultural environment alongside distinguished and world-renowned researchers in state-of-the-art facilities.

Pursue your PhD education in Singapore with SINGA and take your research to greater heights.

Research areas:

SINGA supports PhD studies in Biomedical Sciences, Computing and Information Sciences, Engineering and Technology, and Physical Sciences.

Please note that you will be required to indicate your choices of supervisor in the application form.

Eligibility for selection

  • Open for application to all international graduates with a passion for research and excellent academic results  Note: SINGA is intended primarily for international students studying for the first time in Singapore. Singaporeans, Singapore Permanent Residents and International students studying/who have studied in Singapore tertiary institutions are not eligible.
  • Good skills in written and spoken English
  • Good reports from academic referees

The above eligibility criteria are not exhaustive.
A*STAR may include additional selection criteria based on prevailing scholarship policies. These policies may be amended from time to time without notice.

Benefits

The award provides support for up to 4 years of PhD studies including:

  • Tuition fees
  • Monthly stipend of S$2,200 which will be increased to S$2,700 after the passing of the Qualifying Examination
  • One-time airfare grant of up to S$1,500
  • One-time settling-in allowance of S$1,000
How to apply?

For more information: official website. 

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Asia-Pacific Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Research Forum

by Public Health Update
written by Public Health Update

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) welcomes the submission of abstracts for the first Asia-Pacific CRVS Research Forum to be held from 3 – 4 April 2023. Hosted by ESCAP in Bangkok, this fully online event offers a major research, information sharing, and capacity-building opportunity for participants, who will be able to present at and attend paper presentations and interactive sessions, including networking opportunities. Funding for the Research Forum was provided by the Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative.

The two-day online forum will focus on innovative methods and approaches contributing to achievement of the goals of the Asia-Pacific CRVS Decade (www.getinthepicture.org), as well as showcasing country-level success stories. Depending on the number of papers received, plenary and parallel sessions may be held simultaneously to accommodate papers that meet criteria set by the Forum Organisers.

The primary target group is experienced CRVS practitioners (from National Statistics Offices, Ministries of Health, and Civil Registration/National Identity Authorities) from ESCAP Member States. Other welcomed participants include international organizations, academe, private institutions, and civil society. Authors from Asia and the Pacific will be given preference, but other submissions will be considered if they show relevance to the region.

Asia-Pacific CRVS Research Forum: Monday 3 – Tuesday 4 April 2023

Register Now
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ASTMH Travel Awards
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Call for Applications for ASTMH Travel Awards 2023

by Public Health Update
written by Public Health Update

Overview

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) is an international society committed to equity and global impact through the treatment and prevention of tropical infectious diseases. The Annual Meeting is a dynamic forum for the exchange of the latest scientific and clinical advances in tropical medicine and global health. These abstracts, presented as either oral presentations or posters, are the cornerstone of the meeting’s scientific content. The 2023 Annual Meeting will be held in person October 18-22, 2023 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Call for abstracts

Poster Presentation: Oral abstract presentations are 15-minute presentations within a Scientific Session, generally with 10 minutes allocated for the main presentation and 5 minutes for questions and transition of speakers.

Due to the large number of submissions, the selection process for oral presentations is especially competitive. Please note that many abstract submissions indicating a preference for oral presentation that are not accepted for oral presentation will be assigned to poster presentations.

Poster presentations: In-person poster presentations will be displayed at one of three lunchtime poster sessions in Chicago. In-person poster presenters are requested to be available to informally elaborate and discuss the poster with interested viewers.

Call for Applications for Travel Awards and Funding

ASTMH Young Investigator Awards
Eligibility requirements – Eligibility is limited to current student/post-doctoral members of ASTMH who had a primary role in various aspects of tropical disease research and experimentation. The applicants must be available to present their research during the Young Investigator Award competition held in the morning of the opening day of the Annual Meeting. 
Apply by March 29.

STMH/BMGF Annual Meeting Travel Awards
Travel Awards are offered to qualified students, early career investigators and scientists actively working in the tropical medicine field to attend the Society’s Annual Meeting. Now accepting applications for the Annual Meeting Travel Award. Apply by March 22.

Subgroup Travel Awards

American Committee on Arthropod-Borne and Zoonotic Viruses (ACAV)
Student/Post-Doc Travel Awards 
Eligibility Requirements – Eligibility is limited to graduate students and post-doctoral fellows who are actively conducting arbovirus research. The award recipients will present their research either orally or as a poster during the Annual Meeting. Additionally award recipients will present “lightning talks” about their research as part of the ACAV Annual Business Meeting, which occurs during the ASTMH meeting. Apply by March 22.

American Committee on Clinical Tropical Medicine and Travelers’ Health – Clinical Group (ACCTMTH)
ACCTMTH Clinical Research Award 
Eligibility Requirements – Eligibility is limited to students (within six months of completing undergraduate or master’s level training, including medical undergraduate degrees) and post-doctoral fellows who are conducting clinically-oriented research with scientific clinical content. The applicants must be available to present their work during the award competition during the Annual Meeting. Apply by March 22.

American Committee of Medical Entomology (ACME)
ACME Young Investigator Travel Awards

Young Investigator Travel Award – Graduate (Masters or Doctoral Career-Level in 2023)
Eligibility Requirements – Eligibility is limited to any graduate student who is currently conducting research that directly or indirectly involves arthropods of medical importance. The award recipient will present his/her research either orally or as a poster during the Annual Meeting. Apply by March 22.

ACME Young Investigator Travel Award – Post-Doctoral (Graduation to have occurred 2021-2023)
Eligibility requirements – Eligibility is limited to any post-doc who is currently conducting research that directly or indirectly involves arthropods of medical importance. The award recipient will present his/her research either orally or as a poster during the Annual Meeting. Apply by March 22.

ACME Young Investigator Travel Award – International (Country of primary institution must be non-US)
Eligibility requirements – Eligibility is limited to any international student who is currently conducting research that directly or indirectly involves arthropods of medical importance. The award recipient will present his/her research either orally or as a poster during the Annual Meeting. Apply by March 22.

American Committee of Molecular, Cellular and Immunoparasitology (ACMCIP)
Travel Award for Low and Low-Middle Income (LMIC) Trainees
Eligibility requirements – The ACMCIP student travel award will recognize an international student or trainee, not based full-time in the United States or other high-income country. Priority will be given to qualified applicants primarily living and working in a Low or Lower-Middle Income country (L/LMIC). The applicant must be a member of ACMCIP, and submit an abstract to the ASTMH Annual Meeting in the fields of molecular, cellular or immunoparasitology research. Apply by March 22.


ASTMH Committee on Global Health (ACGH)
Student/Post-Doc Travel Awards
Eligibility requirements – Eligibility is limited to graduate students, medical students, residents and post-doctoral fellows who are conducting global health research and actively participating in advocacy, program implementation or networking efforts for global health. The award recipients will present their research either orally or as a poster during the Annual Meeting. Apply by March 22.

READ MORE AND APPLY NOW
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World Oral Health Day
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World Oral Health Day: Accelerate action to achieve universal coverage for oral health

by Public Health Update
written by Public Health Update

By Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia

On World Oral Health Day, WHO is urging countries of the South-East Asia Region to accelerate implementation of the Region’s new Action Plan for Oral Health 2022–2030, which aims to ensure that everyone, everywhere in the Region can enjoy the highest attainable state of oral health, with a focus on achieving universal coverage for oral health by 2030.   Globally, oral diseases affect an estimated 3.5 billion people worldwide. Between 1990 and 2019, estimated case numbers of oral diseases increased by more than 1 billion, which translates to a 50% increase, higher than the population increase of about 45% in the same period. Oral diseases are caused by a range of modifiable risk factors common to many noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), including sugar consumption, tobacco use, alcohol use and poor hygiene, and their underlying social and commercial determinants.  

In 2019, the WHO South-East Asia Region had an estimated 900 million cases of untreated dental caries, severe periodontal diseases and edentulism. The Region has the world’s highest oral cancer incidence and mortality rates, with age-standardized mortality for both males and females more than double the global average. Across the Region, the disease burden shows strong inequalities, with higher prevalence and severity in poor and disadvantaged populations, who generally have lower access to prevention, care and rehabilitation.   Since 2014, WHO has provided actionable support to all countries of the Region to prevent and control NCDs – including oral diseases – as a Flagship Priority, achieving steady and sustained progress. Ten countries of the Region report having oral health screening for early detection of oral diseases in primary health care settings, where six countries also provide urgent treatment for emergency oral care and pain relief. Five countries have implemented taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages, and the Region is currently on track to achieve the WHO NCD Global Action Plan target of a 30% relative reduction in tobacco use prevalence between 2010 and 2025.  

Recognizing the public health importance of major oral diseases and conditions, in 2021 WHO formulated a Regional Action Plan for Oral Health, based on the inputs of all Member States. The Plan was unanimously endorsed at the Seventy-fifth Session of the WHO Regional Committee in 2022, accompanied by a resolution to report progress every two years.   It is the first plan to be developed based on the new WHO Global Strategy on oral health, and is built on a situation analysis of the Region‘s progress, successes and challenges from its previous oral health strategy 2013–2020. It aims to achieve a 33.3% relative reduction of premature mortality from oral cancer and a 25% relative reduction in the prevalence of untreated dental caries of permanent teeth by 2030, with the overall aim of achieving universal coverage for oral health.   For that, the Region has several priorities.

First, strengthening national oral health programmes, which must be accorded high-level support and adequate financing. Ministries of health must have dedicated, qualified, functional, well-resourced and accountable oral health units that are integrated with existing internal structures and collaborate across programme areas.  

Second, expanding oral health promotion in schools, workplaces and other community settings. Every opportunity must be grasped to engage and empower, and to instil life-long oral hygiene practices, while also reducing common risk factors such as tobacco use, harmful use of alcohol and diets high in sugar, including by creating healthy environments.  

Third, introducing packages of essential oral health services that meet priority needs, and which are delivered in primary health care settings. In all countries, services for oral health prevention and care must be accessible to all, particularly vulnerable, deprived, disadvantaged and remote populations, and should be integrated into essential NCD care that is available within the community, close to where people live and work.  

Fourth, establishing and/or strengthening systems to collect detailed information on oral health services, along with feedback mechanisms that enable decision-makers to rapidly adapt interventions. Quality, timely information on service performance is essential to evidence-informed decision-making and will be critical to achieving the Region’s targets and goals. No one can be left behind. The Region’s inequitable oral health burden – and associated out-of-pocket costs – must be vigorously addressed, ensuring that everyone, everywhere in the Region enjoys the highest attainable state of oral health.

On World Oral Health Day, WHO reiterates its commitment to support all countries of the Region to achieve full implementation of the new Regional Action Plan for Oral Health, and with it, life-long oral health for all.

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Harness digital health for Universal Health Coverage
Digital Health & Health InformaticsGlobal Health NewsNational Health NewsPublic Health NewsUniversal Health Coverage

Harness digital health for Universal Health Coverage

by Public Health Update
written by Public Health Update

New Delhi | March 20, 2023
A global conference on ‘Taking UHC to the last citizen’ today called for harnessing the boundless potential of digital health to accelerate progress towards universal health coverage. “Digital health is a great enabler in delivery of health care services and has the potential to support overall universal health coverage targets. India has adopted a two-pronged approach with a focus on digital health through policy framework and by creating a digital ecosystem for path breaking interventions which focus on not just availability, accessibility, affordability but also equity of health services,” said Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, at the inaugural of the two-day conference here co-hosted by the Ministry and the WHO South-East Asia Regional Office. “Digital health can significantly improve the quality, accessibility, affordability and sustainability of person centric health services and effectiveness of disease management.  Digital health is a critical imperative today as it can democratize healthcare and fast track what our Region has been working intensely towards since 2014 – the universal health coverage,” said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director WHO South-East Asia Region. 

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has particularly highlighted the importance of the application of digital technologies to health and its potential to strengthen health systems, prevent disease and enhance service delivery at the global, national and sub-national level, she said. Addressing the conference, Mr Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, said each country must have its own digital health strategy, which should be evolving and dynamic, and must be part of a network to benefit from skill sets from outside. Leveraging India’s presidency of the G20 and the prolific actions and commitments of previous presidencies, the global conference is aimed at invigorating a high-level global dialogue on the foundations of digital health for UHC – the policies, interoperability, standards, capacity, public engagement, and governance required for an impactful transformation. 

The conference is being attended by representatives and senior digital health delegates from about 40 WHO Member countries including G20 member states representatives, and global health development partners, philanthropies, multilateral financial institutions, health policy makers, digital health innovators and influencers. Over the course of the two- days, the conference will discuss actions to establish a global institutional mechanism to support ministries of health, specifically in low-and middle-income countries, and their health development partners to review, and access proven digital health solutions. The approach is to move from strategies to action and create impact on the ground. The deliberations will also focus on coordinated efforts to address the challenges of UHC with responsive deployment of current and emerging digital technologies. 

The conference will discuss pooling investments in developing Global digital public health goods by creating a pledge fund that can support resource constrained settings to build-up governance, institutional and workforce capacities, and connect digital health initiatives. Building an institutional framework, positioned within the WHO governance mechanism, to oversee the development of the global digital health mechanism, the common pathways of cross-border collaboration in services, solutions and innovations, and strategic management and administration of a pledge fund, is also expected to be discussed at the conference.

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International Confederation of Midwives Congress Bursary Bali 2023
ConferenceInternational Jobs & OpportunitiesPublic Health OpportunitiesPublic Health OpportunityTravel Grants

International Confederation of Midwives Congress Bursary Bali 2023

by Public Health Update
written by Public Health Update

The ICM Triennial Congress is often a life-changing experience for midwives. ICM and its partners are committed to helping midwives from Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) to have this life-changing experience through the Congress Bursary. 

The bursary includes:

  • A return air ticket (economy class), to Bali, Indonesia beginning and ending in the home countries of the sponsored midwife (costs vary, in the range of €500-€3,000)  
  • Visas (costs vary, in the range of €31-€190)  
  • Accommodation for 5 nights (10 – 14 June inclusive) in a shared room in a 3-star hotel at €50/ night   
  • Congress fees, €560 
  • Per diem, $35/day ($175) 

Eligibility 

Applicants must meet the following criteria to be considered for the Congress Bursary:  

  1. Be a midwife according to the ICM International Definition of a Midwife.  
  2. Be a member of an ICM member association in good standing (e.g. membership must be current, fees and other membership requirements must be met).  
  3. Live and work in low- or middle-income country (LMIC), as defined by the World Bank. 
  4. Did not receive funding to attend the 2021 Virtual Congress. 
  5. Have not secured funding to attend the Triennial Congress in Bali. 

Priority for bursaries will be given to 

  • Member Association Council Delegates 
  • Conference presenters 

Application process 

Please complete this form with the following information by Sunday, March 26th 2023 at 17:00 CET: 

  • Your contact information  
  • A short biography letter of motivation (500 words) that describes:
    • Your background, including your qualifications (year and place obtained) followed by a description of your most recent employment (last five years); and 
    • Your motivation for attending Congress: what do you aim to achieve at Congress and how will you use the experience of Congress attendance in your future work. 
  • A letter from your national midwifery organisation confirming you are a current member in good standing 
  • If you are a MA Council Delegate, a letter stating that you are one of your midwifery organisation’s appointed Council Delegates 
  • If you are a conference presenter, proof of abstract acceptance (e.g. confirmation email or letter). 

ICM has secured a limited amount of funding to provide a select number of midwives from LMICs bursaries. Priority will be given to Council Members and presenters, after which midwives from underrepresented regions who meet all the Eligibility Criteria will be put in a random draw to receive bursaries.  

Information about the awarded bursaries will be communicated by March 31st 2023. 

Partners who have contributed to the funding for these bursaries include ICM, UNFPA, UNFPA SEARO, BMGF. Other partners may still contribute. Should more funding be secured, midwives who are eligible may be contacted after the initial draw. 

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Enquiries about the application process may be directed to Arancha de la Horra, Global Research Nurses Coordinator, at Arancha.delahorra@ndm.ox.ac.uk or info@theglobalhealthnetwork.org Global Research Nurses is a programme funded by the Burdett Trust for Nursing
Grants and Funding OpportunitiesPublic Health OpportunitiesPublic Health OpportunityResearch & Project GrantsResearch & Project Grants

GRN Pump-priming Research Workshop Grants 2023

by Public Health Update
written by Public Health Update

Overview

The Global Research Nurses hub and The Global Health Network are pleased to offer £14,000 in small pump-priming grants ranging from £2,000 to £7,000 for nursing and midwifery-led research capacity strengthening projects relevant to Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs).

Nurses and midwives are critical in delivering patient care and improving quality of life for patients. They play an essential role in research that helps to improve patient care through evidence-based decision-making.

There are two ways in which nurses and midwives can participate in research; first, through pure nursing/midwifery research that looks at improving nursing/midwifery interventions or practices, and second, through their nursing expertise, where they participate in an inter-professional group around a patient population, illness or injury. Examples of this could be looking at hospital-acquired infections, central line infections or pressure ulcers that patients get when lying down for long periods of time. Another example is studying the way that a team works together to resuscitate a patient during an emergency.

We are delighted to announce that Global Research Nurses and The Global Health Network (TGHN) are offering small pump-priming grants ranging from £2,000 to £7,000 specifically for nursing and midwifery-led research relevant to LMICs to host a local, national or regional workshop or meeting about nursing or midwifery research with a view to subsequently develop a research or research capacity project. The ultimate goal is to encourage the development of nursing and midwifery research through research capacity strengthening projects.

By providing these grants, we hope to support and empower nurses and midwives in LMICs to lead research efforts that can have a meaningful impact on the health and wellbeing of their communities. We encourage all eligible individuals and organizations to apply and take advantage of this exciting opportunity to contribute to the advancement of nursing and midwifery research in LMICs.

Funds for the scheme are limited and will be awarded competitively.

Eligibility

To qualify for these grants the lead applicant should:

  1. Be a member of Global Research Nurses at The Global Health Network (if you’re not already, just sign up now – it’s free.)
  2. Be employed by a non-commercial organization in LMICs (the list of LMICs is available here).
  3. Applicants must hold the role of a clinical nurse, research nurse or midwife (this award is open to all levels of seniority from junior nurses through to senior nurses, as well as nurses in leadership or management positions).

We are particularly interested in supporting new partnerships. So, your application may be enhanced by inclusion of other individuals from other TGHN working groups or outside TGHN. Please contact the group directly or us should you need an introduction. We would also like to support the awardees by embedding their project within Global Research Nurses regional activities and The Global Health Network regional team.

PLEASE NOTE: these grants are intended for activities relating to questioning / understanding / optimising nursing and midwifery led research. Applications relating to projects/studies that are not nursing or midwifery led themselves are not eligible.

What is included

Funds for the scheme are limited and will be awarded competitively. Each budget will be assessed individually by the panel of judges. All budgets must be submitted in GBP, budgets submitted in any other currency will be non-eligible. The following costs are included for workshops & research capacity strengthening activities: venue hire, catering, printing (e.g. of programmes, flyers, other promotional materials), audio-visual equipment, subsistence and associated expenses of speakers, and other reasonable administrative costs connected with running a workshop and publishing proceedings. No indirect or estate costs / overheads can be requested for this award application.

What is not included
  • Directly Allocated Costs: i.e. costs of resources used by a project that are shared by other activities, e.g. investigator or core staff salaries
  • Capital equipment (e.g. computers, laboratory equipment)
  • Per diems
  • For workshops: bags

All applications should be submitted online following the link below.

Deadline by midnight (BST) Sunday 30th April 2023.

Enquiries about the application process may be directed to Arancha de la Horra, Global Research Nurses Coordinator, at Arancha.delahorra@ndm.ox.ac.uk or info@theglobalhealthnetwork.org. Global Research Nurses is a programme funded by the Burdett Trust for Nursing

APPLY HERE 

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Fifth Global Forum on Human Resources for Health
ConferenceHuman Resource for HealthPublic Health EventsPublic Health OpportunitiesPublic Health Opportunity

Fifth Global Forum on Human Resources for Health

by Public Health Update
written by Public Health Update

The Fifth Global Forum on Human Resources for Health will be held from 3 to 5 April 2023, during World Health Worker Week.

The Forum will be held under the theme of Protecting, safeguarding, and investing in the health and care workforce. Marking more than five years since the adoption of the Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health: Workforce 2030, the Forum will provide updates on progress in its implementation and share evidence and experiences on workforce development, as well as opportunities for a post COVID-19 era that will inform the implementation of the Working for Health 2022-2030 Action Plan. It will examine the required policy solutions, investments, and multi-sectoral partnerships to address health and care workforce challenges and advance health systems towards universal health coverage and health security. The outcomes of the Forum will inform the United Nations General Assembly’s High-Level Meeting on UHC in September 2023.

The Forum is intersectoral and will engage participation from a range of actors, including high-impact decision-makers, across education, finance, gender, health, labour/employment, and migration sectors. The format will be hybrid. In person participation will be for speakers participating in the high-level roundtable dialogue. Parallel sessions and other learning and networking activities will be held virtually and available upon registration through an IT platform dedicated for the Forum. The language of the Forum will be English with simultaneous interpretation available for the high-level roundtables.

Purpose

  • To share progress on the implementation of the Global Strategy on HRH: workforce 2030, and the SDG agenda
  • To examine the required policy options and investments to address global health and care workforce challenges and build capacities and capabilities to advance health systems towards UHC and global health security
  • To identify opportunities for countries of all income classification to develop and align intersectoral activities, engaging relevant partners and stakeholders as needed.

Expected outcomes

  • Drive national multi-sectoral political engagement to address workforce challenges for UHC and the essential public health functions, including Emergency preparedness and response
  • Develop consensus on priority workforce solutions to inform preparations for United Nations High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage (September 2023)
  • Inform and influence domestic and international investments in education and jobs 
  • Launch of the Multi-sectoral advisory group of experts (MSAGE)

Registration Link

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Five cities recognized for public health achievements at Partnership for Healthy Cities Summit
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Five cities recognized for public health achievements at Partnership for Healthy Cities Summit

by Public Health Update
written by Public Health Update

Partnership for Healthy Cities award recipients include Montevideo, Uruguay for food policy; Mexico City, Mexico for road safety; Vancouver, Canada for surveillance; Athens, Greece for overdose prevention, and Bengaluru, India for tobacco control.

The first-of-its-kind Summit was convened in London by Bloomberg Philanthropies, World Health Organization, Vital Strategies, and Mayor Sadiq Khan of London.

During the inaugural Partnership for Healthy Cities Summit in London, five global cities were recognized for their achievements in preventing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and injuries. The Summit brought together mayors and officials from more than 50 major cities in the partnership to discuss urgent public health concerns and best practices that save lives and create healthier cities.

With the majority of the global population now living in urban settings, ensuring the health and wellbeing of residents in our world’s urban centers is crucial. NCDs – including heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases – and injuries are responsible for over 80% of all deaths globally. Cities are uniquely positioned to transform the fight against NCDs and injuries by implementing policies to significantly reduce exposure to risk factors. The Summit highlights best practices and proven interventions, which is especially important as public health is at risk of becoming less of a priority three years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Noncommunicable diseases and injuries pose the number-one threat to global public health. Mayors worldwide are increasingly uniting to confront it, and the Partnership for Healthy Cities will continue to support their urgent and lifesaving work,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies, 108th mayor of New York City, and WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries. “Our network’s first-ever Summit showcased the best of local public health leadership, and given the gains achieved by our inaugural award winners, we expect even more leaders will follow in their footsteps as they create healthier, more vibrant cities.”

“The five cities being recognized today demonstrate that mayors can drive powerful progress to protect the health of their citizens,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “WHO remains committed to working through the Partnership for Healthy Cities to support mayors around the world to build cities that promote and protect health, rather than harm it.” 

Founded in 2017, the Partnership for Healthy Cities is a prestigious global network comprised of 70 cities working together to prevent NCDs and injuries. Mayors in the partnership were invited to join and committed to addressing a pressing public health issue in their city. Supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies in partnership with the WHO and Vital Strategies, this initiative enables cities around the world to deliver a high-impact policy or programmatic intervention to reduce NCDs and injuries in their communities. Through the Partnership for Healthy Cities, local leaders around the world have enacted policies that are improving the health and safety of millions of people.

During the Summit, five member cities were recognized with a 2023 Partnership for Healthy Cities Award for positively impacting the health of their population and making sustainable and lasting strides toward NCD and injury prevention that can be replicated in other jurisdictions. 

The five winning cities, each receiving US$ 150 000 to further their work with the partnership, are:

  • Athens, Greece for increasing access to the opioid overdose reversal agent, naloxone, at community-based organizations and among healthcare professionals. The city also started researching causes of death among people who inject drugs to better understand the impact of the overdose crisis;
  • Bengaluru, India for their efforts in tobacco control, specifically, reducing smoking in public places and improving compliance with existing mandates on public smoking bans;
  • Mexico City, Mexico for improving road safety and safe and active mobility by launching a bike path on a busy road that led to a 275% increase in cyclists; implementing a shared lane for cyclists and buses separate from cars; establishing loading and unloading areas; and optimizing design and management of roads close to schools;
  • Montevideo, Uruguay for establishing nutritional standards for the preparation and sale of food in government agency offices and some public universities, for focusing on sodium reduction policies and developing media campaigns and educational materials; and 
  • Vancouver, Canada for making public health data more inclusive and accessible by launching an online public health data tool that tracks population health indicators and working with urban Indigenous communities to better inform data management.  

“These initiatives are not only improving the health of Londoners, but alleviating pressure off our health service and ensuring that future generations can thrive. Improving the health of Londoners will always be at the heart of my vision to build a safer and more prosperous London for everyone.”said the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan“I’m delighted to be joining Mayors from around the world today to tackle some of the biggest issues facing our cities. The health of our citizens is a city’s greatest asset so I’m taking bold steps to invest in the health of Londoners, such as restricting junk food advertising across the Transport for London network and expanding the Ultra Low Emission Zone, which will mean five million more Londoners will be able to breathe cleaner air.”

“Cities are places where health can be produced or compromised,” said José Luis Castro, President and CEO, Vital Strategies. “We applaud the work of urban leaders around the globe in their efforts to create healthier, stronger and more equitable cities. We are eager to continue our work supporting cities with the tools and resources needed to bring proven solutions that prevent noncommunicable diseases and injuries to fruition.”

The mayors who attended the inaugural Partnership for Healthy Cities Summit—and their city’s public health focus areas—are:

  • Mayor Kiritkumar Jivanlal Parmar, Ahmedabad, India
    Focus area: Noncommunicable disease surveillance
  • Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis, Athens, Greece
    Focus area: Overdose prevention 
  • Mayor José Sarto, Fortaleza, Brazil
    Focus area: Improving air quality surveillance 
  • Mayor Erias Lukwago, Kampala, Uganda
    Focus area: Improving air quality surveillance 
  • Mayor Balendra Shah, Kathmandu, Nepal
    Focus area: Improving air quality surveillance
  • Mayor Samuel Pyne, Kumasi, Ghana
    Focus area: Reducing traffic fatalities through speed management      
  • Mayor Sadiq Khan, London, United Kingdom
    Focus area: Reducing children’s exposure to unhealthy food and drink through advertising restrictions
  • Mayor Chilando Chitangala, Lusaka, Zambia
    Focus area: Reducing road traffic injuries, with a special focus on women and children 
  • Mayor Carolina Cosse, Montevideo, Uruguay
    Focus area: Nutrition standards
  • Mayor Joy Belmonte, Quezon City, Philippines
    Focus area: Pursuing healthier restaurant environments, with a focus on calorie labeling on menus
  • Governor Claudio Orrego Larraín, Santiago, Chile
    Focus area: Developing a metropolitan mobility policy  
  • Mayor Carolina Mejía, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
    Focus area: Speed management on urban avenues                                            
  • Mayor Se-hoon Oh, Seoul, South Korea
    Focus area: Improving adherence with tobacco advertising restrictions in public areas   

15 March 2023 News release WHO

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WHO health workforce support and safeguards list 2023
Health SystemsHuman Resource for HealthPublic HealthPublic Health Update

WHO renews alert on safeguards for health worker recruitment

by Public Health Update
written by Public Health Update

The World Health Organization (WHO) released an updated WHO health workforce support and safeguards list 2023, identifying 55 countries as vulnerable for availability of health workers required to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal target for universal health coverage (UHC) by 2030.

The impact of COVID-19 and widespread disruptions to health services has resulted in a rapid acceleration in the international recruitment of health workers. For countries losing health personnel to international migration, this could negatively impact on health systems and hinder their progress towards achieving UHC and health security.

Of the 55 countries, 37 are in the WHO African region, eight in the Western Pacific region, six in the Eastern Mediterranean region, three in the South-East Asia region (Inc. Nepal) and one is in the Americas. Eight countries have been newly added to the WHO health workforce support and safeguards list 2023 since its original publication in 2020.

“Health workers are the backbone of every health system, and yet 55 countries with some of the world’s most fragile health systems do not have enough and many are losing their health workers to international migration,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “WHO is working with these countries to support them to strengthen their health workforce, and we call on all countries to respect the provisions in the WHO health workforce support and safeguards list.”  The list should be used to inform advocacy, policy dialogue at all levels and financing efforts in support of health workforce education and employment in these countries.

The countries included in the WHO health workforce support and safeguards list 2023 have a UHC service coverage index below 55 and health workforce density below the global median: 49 medical doctors, nursing and midwifery personnel per 10 000 people. These countries require priority support for health workforce development and health system strengthening, along with additional safeguards that limit active international recruitment.

The WHO health workforce support and safeguard list 2023 does not prohibit international recruitment, but recommends that government-to-government health worker migration agreements:

  • be informed by health labour market analysis and the adoption of measures to ensure adequate supply of health workers in the source countries;
  • engage Ministries of Health in the negotiation and implementation of agreements; and
  • specify the health system benefits of the arrangement to both source and destination countries.

WHO also recommends that these safeguards be extended to all low- and middle-income countries.

Implementation of the WHO Global code of practice on the international recruitment of health personnel (WHO Global Code) can ensure that international movement of health workers is ethically managed, supports the rights and welfare of migrant health workers and maintains health service delivery objectives.

The 2023 update is informed by the report of the WHO Expert Advisory Group on the Relevance and Effectiveness of the WHO Global Code. WHO will update the list every three years, with the next update scheduled for publication in 2026.

This issue will be discussed at the upcoming Fifth Global Forum on Human Resources for Health, which will examine the required policy solutions, investments, and multi-sectoral partnerships to address health and care workforce challenges to advance health systems towards the attainment of UHC and health security. The outcomes of the Forum will inform the United Nations General Assembly’s High-Level Meeting on UHC in September 2023.

 WHO health workforce support and safeguards list 2023

WHO 14 March 2023  News release Geneva, Switzerland 

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