As usual, there was an incredible amount of valuable content flowing through the Twittersphere this week. Despite that, rather than go broad with a sampling of the diversity, I am going to do a focus on a very special event.
Lancet published a special collection of papers on Universal Health Coverage as a global health issue.
Lancet: Universal Health Coverage (September 7, 2012): http://www.thelancet.com/themed-universal-health-coverage
As a related event, and in partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation and the World Health Organization, Lancet has launched a webinar series on the topic.
Launch Event:The Lancet Series on Universal Health Coverage: http://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/news/news/launch-event-lancet-series-universal
The launch event took place during the UN General Assembly, and was offered as a simulcast through Livestream, and will be archived online. The presenters and attendees both read like a Who’s Who in Global Health list!
“Confirmed Participants:
Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization
Dr. David de Ferranti, President of the Results for Development Institute
Dr. Richard Horton, Editor of The Lancet
Dr. Judith Rodin, President of The Rockefeller Foundation
Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Colombia University
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Minister of Health, Ethiopia
Dr. Ali Ghufron Mukti, Vice-Minister of Health, Indonesia”
In addition, the event was livetweeted both by participants in the room, as well as the online audience. Hashtags used were #UHC for Universal Health Coverage and #UNGA for United Nations General Assembly. I have selected a few highlights from this collection of tweets.
Excited to attend @thelancet reception on universal health coverage tonight! Tune in online to follow along – us1.campaign-archive1.com/?u=6c3212a6ca4… #UNGA
— Roll Back Malaria(@RollBackMalaria) September 26, 2012
Martelly addressing #UNGA, speaks of inclusive development, access to health, markets, jobs, gender equality. #Haiti #UN
— Kamal Faridi (@KamalFaridi) September 26, 2012
President @michel Martelly addressing #UNGA, speaks of inclusive development, access to health, markets, jobs, gender equality. #Haiti
— Lilianne Fan (@LilianneFan) September 26, 2012
At @thelancet launch of #universalhealthcoverage. Margaret Chan stresses the importance of UHC – the third global health transition? #UNGA
— Dr Priya Agrawal (@priya__agrawal) September 26, 2012
Chan:#UHC is the single most powerful concept that public health has to offer. It is a social equalizer and can lead against social inequity
— MSH (@MSHHealthImpact) September 26, 2012
Year 2000 saw, instead of health for all, 3 global pandemics: AIDS pandemic, malaria pandemic, tuberculosis pandemic. #UHC
— P. F. Anderson (@pfanderson) September 26, 2012
Sachs: when countries reach $1500 per capita they can afford to introduce universal health coverage and they should.#UHC
— Rockefeller Fdn (@RockefellerFdn) September 26, 2012
Sachs: universal health coverage is absolutely within reach @thelancet @r4development @rockefellerfdn #UHC @who
— Robert Marten (@MartenRobert) September 26, 2012
Speaker at Lancet Rockefeller webcast cites WHO founding & 1948 agreement that health is a human right un.org/en/documents/u… #UHC
— P. F. Anderson (@pfanderson) September 26, 2012
Indonesia’s Vice Minister Ghufron Mukti says Germany took 100 yrs to achieve #uhc. He wants to achieve it in just 5 @thelancet
— Louise Holly (@loueybird) September 26, 2012
Now Minister Tedross of Ethioipia says health should be a right & health services shouldn’t be commercial #uhc
— Louise Holly (@loueybird) September 27, 2012
Ariel Pablos Mendez, USAID:#UHC is not about adding capital but about reorganizing financing.
— MSH (@MSHHealthImpact) September 27, 2012
Some said that treating for HIV was utopian and unrealistic — I wonder where those people are now. Are they also the same doubting #uhc?
— Robert Marten (@MartenRobert) September 27, 2012
Japanese representative echoes French and offers Japan’s strong support for #uhc moving forward…
— Robert Marten (@MartenRobert) September 27, 2012
Jonathan Quick, MSH CEO notes that pharmaceutical mgmt is a missing piece in #UHC dialogues-how to assure access to affordable,quality meds?
— MSH (@MSHHealthImpact) September 27, 2012
ACS: Green Chemistry and Global Access to Medicines in Developing Countries acswebinars.org/green-medicine #uhc #sustainability #greenchem
— P. F. Anderson (@pfanderson) September 27, 2012
Brilliant well spoken lady “A cookie cutter approach would be wrong. We need different solutions for different problems.” #uhc
— P. F. Anderson (@pfanderson) September 27, 2012
Chan: More than 70 low & middle income countries have asked @who for guidance on moving toward #UHC. The interest is there! #globalhealth
— MSH (@MSHHealthImpact) September 27, 2012
Wonderful clear thinking, clear speaking lady was Margaret Chan who.int/dg/chan/en/ind… #uhc
— P. F. Anderson (@pfanderson) September 27, 2012
“@martenrobert: The whole room does! “@karengrepin: I want to pick Margaret Chan up and hug her too. #uhc”” Agreed!
— R4D (@R4Development) September 27, 2012
Don’t get me wrong: I am all for expansion of health insurance. But I struggle with the homogeneous treatment of #uhc as a policy goal.
— Karen Grepin (@KarenGrepin) September 27, 2012
@karengrepin Even if we reach current goals, the goals will shift. It is a moving target. #uhc
— P. F. Anderson (@pfanderson) September 27, 2012
@karengrepin at the same time extremely important and entirely nebulous.
— George Darroch (@georgedarroch) September 27, 2012
@karengrepin Isn’t #uhc when used in the sense of a policy goal just a useful substitute for “expansion of health insurance”?
— Seye Abimbola (@seyeabimbola) September 27, 2012
@seyeabimbola The papers (at least mine) & DG Chan made clear that there are many different ways to achieving #UHC
— Victoria Fan (@FanVictoria) September 27, 2012
Audience: Discrimination & stigma also barriers to care, especially in diseases like AIDS #uhc (hope Malaysia is listening)
— P. F. Anderson (@pfanderson) September 27, 2012
Congrats @thelancet @rockefellerfdn @r4development on great event launching #UHC issue last night! ow.ly/e2Ao7 #UNGA
— MSH (@MSHHealthImpact) September 27, 2012
Originally posted at the THL Blog http://wp.me/p1v84h-Ni
