PHA-Exchange> WHA/PHM activities planning

[aviva]

Dear Pam and PHA friends,

Greetings from Community Health Cell!

I am so glad that so much enthusiasm and participation is being
generated for the WHO-WHA dialogue events.  This is in response to your
interesting communication of 30th March 2002 with suggestions from the
informal discussion in London.

1. I endorse and welcome all the efforts and suggestions that are
trying

to ensure that the panelists at the technical briefing and NGO forum
meeting represent the diversity of old and new, geography and gender;
professionals, activists and medicos etc.  However many of you will
have

to move fairly fast to ensure that we move beyond suggestions and the
realm of possibilities to actual confirmation of presence considering
that we have little or no funds for all this but lots of enthusiasm and
commitment.  Eric (NGO Forum) and WCC-Geneva have offered sponsorship
for 2 people apart from me with the commitment that the three of us
must

also participate in the NGO forum meeting at WHA on 14th May on the
theme :Partnerships in Health”.

I have made a very brash case for support to at least two people by
WHO-CSI (see my letter to Eva).  If that is successful, then we will
have a maximum of 5 travel fares (Forum/WCC-3, CSI-2). So please while
contacting  and before confirming also check out on how to cover their
travel – this applies to Mwajima; Mary Sandasi; Ani, Marie Eugenia
Lima,

Allyson Pollock etc., etc.

I am writing to the Medicos (IFMSA) in response to their recent
communication separately.

2. The social event seems a good idea – but again from realm of
possibilities to confirmed ground realities is necessary.  Among
ourselves, we should ensure that the battery charging get together on
16th ends in such a social event to celebrate as always PHA’s
multicultural diversity.  But if we are calling other delegates, we
must

have a more planned event.  Any volunteers?

3. Short provocative pieces (not more than 2 pages please)  on PHA
themes are welcome from any PHA member or sympathiser but perhaps we
should also keep the WHA agenda in mind, which includes as of now the
following:

a) Risks to Health
b) Macro-economic commission on Health
c) Development Goals of the Millennium
d) Sustainable development
e) Global funds to fight HIV/TB/Malaria
f) HIV/AIDS
g) Evaluation of polio strategy
h) Quality of care / patient safety
i) Infant and young child nutrition
j) Diet and physical activity / health
k) Ageing and health
l) Mental health
m) Dengue prevention and control
n) Deliberate use of biological and chemical agents to cause harm
o) Smallpox eradication – destruction of variola stock
p) Pan African Tsetse and Trypanasomiasis eradication campaign
q) Control of neurocysticercosus
r) Role of contractual arrangements in improving health system
performance

These pieces are necessary for media campaign and advocacy.

[WHO background papers on this can be downloaded from their website)

4. Bala, David Sanders, Pam, Thelma, Claudio are being invited to put
together a document that intersperses the charter with events /
initiatives, reflections since PHA-Savar as a concrete statement that
PHA is growing, evolving and the concerns for action and response are
developing all over the world however slowly but surely.

So hoping that all of you will confirm participation; put pen to paper;
and also fund raise.

Best wishes,

Ravi Narayan,
PHA-WHO-WHA Convenor