Weekly News Roundup
News, Events and Observations about Health Markets in the Developing World
Program News
In a surprising twist Oxfam International, a confederation of 17 organizations working together to find lasting solutions to poverty and injustice, is calling for an end to the global malaria scheme; the Affordable Medicines Facility – malaria (AMFm). Why would Oxfam advocate for the shutdown of a scheme that targets a disease that kills 86 percent of its victims under five? Click here to find out why.
mDhil, an organization that provides basic healthcare information to Indian consumers via text messaging, mobile web browsers, and interactive digital content, has reported that 7 Indians watch one of their health information videos, every minute. Learn more about them and watch some of their content here.
In a short video titled “Can a phone replace the doctor in Kenya?”, BBC featured Baby Monitor, a project run by Population Council and carried out in partnership with Jacaranda Health's nurses and maternity. Be sure to check out the video!
General News
The 2nd Global Symposium on Health Systems Research opened up this week to over 1000+ different organizations and attendees. The four-day conference will bring together researchers, policymakers, funders, and implementers to share new evidence and discuss strategies for supporting health systems research and the use of evidence in decision-making in low- and middle-income countries.
SHOPS Project recently released a new brief highlighting findings and recommendations from a private sector health assessment conducted in Namibia in 2010. The assessment demonstrated that the private sector is an important part of Namibia’s health system and is in fact poised to play a greater role in ensuring the sustainable provision of essential health services once donor funding is scaled back. Download the full brief here.
The Harvard Malaria Initiative launched a new ExxonMobil Malaria Scholar in Residence Program in order to pursue innovative strategies to combat malaria. ExxonMobil has invested over $100 million in bednets, anti-malarial medicines and sector leadership since 2000. Part of that funding has gone to the June Science of Eradication event that brought together individuals from various sectors to train them as future leaders in the malaria fight. Read more about this initiative here.
Opportunities
Ennovent, an organization that discovers, finances, and scales innovations that create a sustainable impact on low-income people is holding a competition to find and promote grassroot entrepreneurs across India that have mastered innovative and sustainable solutions in skill building for India. Winners will receive national visibility, networking opportunities, and non-financial support. The deadline is November 14. Read more about the challenge here.