UK devises five-year global health strategy
March - April, 2009 | Volume 8, Issue 2
Dr. Nicholas BanatvalaDr. Nicholas Banatvala, head of global affairs for Britain's Department of Health, recently visited Fogarty to explain his government's five-year strategy to improve health in a world it once dominated.
The "Health is Global" campaign endorsed by the prime minister (see Guest Opinion by Gordon Brown) lays out 41 commitments involving every government agency and aiming to integrate medical care, research and diplomacy in the service of better world health.
Five areas for action include: better global health security; stronger, fairer and safer delivery systems; more effective world health organizations; stronger, freer and fairer trade for better health; and stronger use of evidence in policy and practice.
Banatvala noted that the first principle of the plan is to "set out to do no harm and, as far as feasible, evaluate the impact of…domestic and foreign policies on global health to ensure that our intention is fulfilled."
"This document is unique in that it has buy-in from every UK government agency and takes into account the diplomatic value of global health efforts," says Fogarty's director of international relations, Dr. James Herrington.
To read the report, visit http://tinyurl.com/4kxaf8
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