Weekly News Roundup
News, Events and Observations about Health Markets in the Developing World
Program News
This week, CHMI launched a new section of our website – a library of program case studies. As of today, CHMI’s partner network has produced more than 40 case studies of innovative programs in 11 countries around the world including Bolivia, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, and South Africa. Check out the new library to learn how health market innovations have been implemented around the world!
The Global Journal came out with a list of the top 100 NGOs in the world, based on measures such as innovation, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability. On the list were some of the NGOs profiled on the CHMI website, as well as some of our partners and collaborators, including BRAC, PATH, Care International, Mercy Corps, Barefoot College, Aravind Eye Care, Apopo, Marie Stopes, Saude Crianca, and Medic Mobile. Congratulations to all of the organizations recognized by this list!
Yesterday, GOOD announced that Medic Mobile won a $5,000 grant from the Gates Foundation as part of last year’s GOOD Vaccine Challengefor providing critical vaccine alerts for newborns via text messages to parents. Congratulations to Medic Mobile!
General News
GOOD recently ran a thought provoking group interview that begged the question – “Is the Social Enterprise Bubble About to Burst?”
The WHO published a paper titled “A systems approach to improving maternal health in the Philippines”, which focused on the building blocks of the health system in order to identify “where the system succeeds, where it breaks down, and what kinds of integrated approaches will strengthen the overall system”.
A large Public-Private Partnership (PPP) was announced this week to accelerate progress towards eliminating neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) by the end of the decade. The partnership involves thirteen pharmaceutical companies, the governments of the U.S., U.K, and United Arab Emirates, the Gates Foundation, the WHO, the World Bank, the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, and other global health organizations. Read more here.
Anurag Jain, who served as the head of Dell’s Service Delivery unit until July 2011, left Dell to pursue a second career as a social entrepreneur focused on BoP sectors. Interested in how he made the transition, the social incubator he founded, and what fires him up? Read the Next Billion blog’s recent interview with Jain.
CNN’s African Voices series recently spoke with Frank Njenga, Kenya’s leading psychiatrist, about the lack of quality mental healthcare in Africa and the vital need for it. In Kenya, there are an estimated three million people living with intellectual and mental disabilities, yet there is just one psychiatrist for every half a million people. In other African countries, particularly in those with a history of wars and violence, the problem is worse. Hear more about Njenga’s fight to improve the standing of those with mental health difficulties in Africa here.