You are invited to attend
International Centre for Health and Society
2005 Public Seminar Series
Monday 6 June - 5pm (followed by drinks at 6pm)
Title: Making public health matter: research, training and advocacy to address Africa's health crisis.
Speaker: Professor David Sanders, School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape
Abstract
Twenty five years after the policy of Primary Health Care was formally endorsed progress towards Health for All has been uneven. Although the global PHC initiative has been successful in selected programmes that have reduced substantially the impact of certain (mostly infectious) diseases, gains already achieved are under threat from an accelerating process of neoliberal economic globalisation, health sector reform and HIV/AIDS that have resulted in stagnation, and more recently reversal, of Africa's health status indicators. Some aspects of globalisation and health sector reform will
be reviewed as well as the crisis of health human resources.
Suggested responses from the Public Health community will be illustrated by examples from South Africa. These include research on: health systems with a focus on perational issues and programme evaluation, determinants operating at both local and global levels, and case studies of comprehensive responses to key health problems. Such research should integrate both capacity development as well as advocacy action. Public Health training initiatives need to respond to the above key challenges and to the differentiated needs of practitioners. It is urgent that Public Health leaders reconsider their mission in light of Africa's needs.
David Sanders is Director and founding Professor at the School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, South Africa. He has lived and worked in Southern Africa for the past 25 years where he has been actively involved in the health policy process in both Zimbabwe and South Africa, particularly in the areas of nutrition and human resource development. He has acted as an adviser to Southern African liberation movements, the World Health Organisation and Unicef amongst others and is an active member of the ANC's Health Desk. He is author of two books on the politics of health and primary health care and co-author of a recent book on the G8 and health aid. He has researched and written in the areas of political economy of health, primary health care, child nutrition and health personnel education. He is on the Global Steering Group of the Peoples Health Movement and convenor of its research circle. He is currently Heath Clark Lecturer for 2005 at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
RSVP seminar attendance by 3/6/05 (indicating any special needs and for directions to the seminar room). E-mail:[log in to unmask]
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