Initiatives


Global Health – Networking for Better Outcomes
Tuesday, 22 November 2005, 11:30 to 16:00
A Symposium at the Commonwealth People's Forum (immediately preceding CHOGM), in Valleta, has been organised in collaboration with three other health-related organisations - the Commonwealth Nurses Federation, Commonwealth Pharmaceutical Association and the Commonwealth Dental Association. This is the first time that the four organisations have collaborated on a symposium. For further information, please see the: Programme / Press release / Hand out
> Report & Presentations: Global Health – Networking for Better Outcomes


Paras55 works on reducing the Brain Drain of Health Professional from the Developing World
Para55 working in association with the British Medical Association and the Commonwealth Secretariat and participants from the American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association, the Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Nurses Association, the Commonwealth Medical Association, the Commonwealth Nurses Federation, Health Canada, the Medical Council of Canada, the Royal College of Nursing and the South African Medical Association

Firstly organised a conference 14 April 2005 and draft a communiqué to send onto the Commonwealth Health Ministers (see: > Call to Action PDF, 21KB).

Secondly on the WHO web site is a copy of the World Health Assembly key resolutions affecting global public health dated 25 May 2005, Geneva.
,
"The Assembly also addressed the issue of international migration of health personnel, particularly highly trained and skilled health personnel moving from developing to developed countries. A resolution was adopted, requesting the WHO Director-General to strengthen WHO's programme on human resources for health. The issue of development of human resources for health will be the theme of the 2006 World Health Report and World Health Day 2006. It will also be a key area of work in WHO’s General Programme of Work 2006-2015"

The inclusion of this paragraph is the result of much hard work. We continue to make a difference! Congratulations to all who helped over the last six months.
Frank Davis , Chairman, Para55 the Commonwealth HIV and AIDS Action Group


Call for Action: Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting, 15 May

Circulated a call to members/country Delegation to the Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting 15 May to
1. attend - Round Table 2. "Human resources for Health: focus upon update on
implementation of Code and the responsiveness of the health professionals to their clients".
2. write to Mr Winston Cox supporting the conference communiqué (see 14 April meeting below) for the Heath Ministers to put the migration of Heath Workers on the Agenda Migration of Health Workers is the big issues and hopefully will be an issue at the G8 submit and the CHOGM. A fringe meeting has been organised to coincided with CHOGM in November more on this very soon.

> Letter to the Commonwealth Health Ministers (PDF, 32KB)

Recent meetings:

International Response to the Human Resource Challenge to reduce
the 'Brain Drain' out of Africa
14 April 2005. Organised to address the Migration of Heath Workers from the developing world by the British Medical Association in association with a number of organisations, including the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Commonwealth Medical Association, the Royal College of Nursing, the Commonwealth Nurses Federation, the Canadian Medical Association and the American Medical Association.

The aim of the meeting was to produce a unified international policy statement on health worker migration which balances the rights of health workers to move freely to develop their skills with the needs of patients in both developed and developing countries. This communiqué will be submitted to the Commonwealth Ministers of Health meeting taking place on 15 May 2005, facilitated by Commonwealth HIV and AIDS Action Group and the Commonwealth Secretariat.

We plan to take the message to the meeting of G8 countries and the Commonwealth Heads of Government in July and November respectively. The BMA Commonwealth Meeting title is - The global health professional: improving health, fighting poverty.

(Download the Word file of the communiqué on this subject.)

HIV/AIDS, Asylum & the Commonwealth
20 January 2005
Commonwealth Lawyer’s Association (CLA) and the Commonwealth HIV and AIDS Action Group
The Commonwealth Club, London, WC2N 5BJ
Speakers included Dr Anton Pozniak Consultant Physician & Honorary Senior Lecturer St. Stephen’s Centre, Chelsea & Westminster NHS Trust and Professor Alan Whiteside Director Health Economics & HIV/AIDS Research Division (HEARD) University of Natal. Dr. Mandeep Dhaliwal, Head: Care & Impact Mitigation Team, International HIV/AIDS Alliance. Access the report and presentations using the link below.
> Report & Presentations: HIV/AIDS, Asylum & the Commonwealth


Mitigating the Impact of HIV/AIDS in Education
18 January 2005, 10.30-3.30, Marlborough House, London
The Commonwealth Association for Science, Maths and Technology Educators (CASTME) are running a Workshop in Marlborough House
- volunteer participants please Email Lynnesymonds@appliedonline.co.uk

(Download the Word file with further information on this subject.)

Report of the last three months:

Para55 report for the last THREE MONTHS compiled by Frank Davis
Chairman Para55 the Commonwealth HIV and AIDS Action Group

World AIDS Day Meeting on the 1 December held in Marlborough House the Headquarters of the Commonwealth was organised by Para55 Commonwealth HIV and AIDS Action Group conjointly with the Commonwealth Secretariat – the meeting was major success attended by nearly 100 NGO reps MPs and High Commissioners as well as representatives of the Multinationals.

The Theme - Women Girls HIV and AIDS - There were 4 speakers - Mr Winston Cox, Deputy Secretary General Keynote presentation – on the Theme of World AIDS Day – Dr Gareth Tudor-Williams "Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission: Where is
the Mother?"Access to ART for mothers as well as children: the challenges and opportunities.- Dr Alice Welbourn, "Where are the women in the ABC of HIV/AIDS" and Tania Boler, Education and HIV Adviser, from Action Aid.

Please see attached the final version of the programme for WAD plus the BIO and abstracts presented.

Frank Davis, the Chair of Para 55, announced that two new initiatives were being presented to the Commonwealth Secretariat:
1. A proposed Commonwealth Revolving Fund for the Procurement of Antiretroviral (ARVs)
2. A proposed International Response to the Human Resource Challenge to reduce the 'Brain Drain' out of Africa. These proposals are conjointly presented by the Ghana and Commonwealth Medical Association and the Commonwealth HIV and AIDS Action Group working in collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Download Word files of the communiqués on these subjects:
1) Commonwealth Revolving Fund / 2) Human Resource 'Brain Drain' Challenge