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SYNERGY ONLINE: Bulletins and News Briefs from
The Canadian Society for International Health (CSIH)
[log in to unmask], Technical Representative in Canada for
the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
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Minister Allan Rock Speaks at PAHO
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Washington, DC, April 6, 1998 - Canada's priority in health over the next
several years will be to expand the scope of home and community health care,
according to Canadian Minister of Health Allan Rock.
Minister Rock, speaking at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), said
Canada is concentrating on pilot projects in the areas of primary care
reform, better integration of health services, home and community care,
pharmacare, and information technology. Medical services can be delivered
at home or at the community level at lower cost, he noted, and his Ministry
has identified home and community care as priorities for insurance coverage.
Over the next year Canada plans to design, define and put into place
standards for home and community care, he said.
"We are undergoing a crash program to invest in the creation of a Pan
Canadian information system to make the most use of this very useful tool,"
he added. Though Canada has gone through a recent transition in reducing
expenditures on health, the principles of universality, accessibility,
public administration, and portability still apply to the Canadian health
system, he said.
PAHO, which serves as the regional office for the Americas of the World
Health Organization, works with all the countries of the Americas to improve
health and raise living standards. For more information please contact the
Office of Public Information, 525 Twenty-Third Street, N.W. Washington, DC
20037, USA - http:\\www.paho.org
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Public Health Conference and Nursing Forum
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PAHO and the Metropolitan Washington Public Health Association are co-
sponsoring a public health forum and public nursing forum April 15-17 in
Washington. It will be of particular interest to anyone who has a vision
for public health nursing in the future related to essential public health
services or functions. The organizers are anxious to contact individuals,
especially those who are bilingual, who could be part of efforts in this
area, even if they are not able to attend the forum.
PAHO will hold a second conference in Tegucigalpa, Honduras for Central
America and the Spanish Caribbean in August on the same topic. For more
information, please contact Tom Kelly, MPH Conference Co-Chair and MWPHA
President-Elect (202) 797-7901; (703) 287-9449 [log in to unmask]
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Job Opportunity at Dalhousie University's Programme in
International Development Studies
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The Programme is seeking an expert in International Development Studies for
a 10-month limited term appointment, September 1998 to June 1999, primarily
for teaching undergraduate classes (including two foundational year classes
at the second and third year level ("Introduction to Development I and II"
and "Seminar in Development III and IV") and two half-classes at third and
fourth year level. Candidates should possess a Ph.D. (or be close to
completion) in a related area and have substantial teaching experience.
Area of specialization is open. Candidates should submit a curriculum
vitae, a statement of teaching and research interests, and the names of
three (3) referees to Dr. Marian Binkley, Coordinator, International
Development Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 3J5,
Fax: (902)494-2105, by May 15th, 1998. Inquiries about the position may be
made by E-Mail: [log in to unmask] In accordance with Canadian Immigration
requirements, this advertisement is directed to Canadian Citizens and
permanent residents of Canada. Dalhousie University is an Employment
Equity/Affirmative Action Employer. The University encourages applications
from qualified Aboriginal peoples, persons with a disability, racially
visible people and women.
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Job Opportunity With Anglican Church of Canada,
Primate's World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF)
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Applications are invited from individuals who may be interested in the
position described below. Job Title: Program Associate: Africa Program.
Starting Salary: $37,600
Description: Responsibility for implementation, monitoring and reporting of
approved projects and programs in Africa/Middle East Region; Responsibility
for interpretation of area of work to the Anglican PWRDF constituency.
Requirements: a university degree or its equivalent; a demonstrated
competence in international development issues is essential and prior
knowledge and experience of the region is an asset; a commitment to the
Christian community is essential and familiarity with the Anglican Communion
is helpful; experience living in the Third World or demonstrated cross
cultural experience; a theological understanding of mission and development
issues; a ecumenical commitment; a ability to travel in Africa, to Europe
and within Canada; fluency in French and English is a requirement; a good
organizational and administrative skills. Direct Inquiries to: Robin
Gibson, Director, PWRDF, 600 Jarvis Street, Toronto, Ontario M4Y 2J6. Tel:
(416)924-9192, Fax: (416)924-3483 Closing date for receipt of resumes and
letters of application: April 24 1998
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Pregnant Women Face Risks, But Health Care Can Insure
Safe Motherhood, PAHO Director says on World Health Day
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Washington DC, April 6, 1998 - "Every pregnant woman faces the risk of
developing sudden and serious complications, most of which cannot be
predicted or prevented," according to Dr. George Alleyne, Director of the
Pan American Health Organization, in remarks for World Health Day, April 7,
1998.
For World Health Day PAHO selected the theme "Let's Work Together for Safe
Motherhood," to call attention to the need for men, women, and families to
work together to make motherhood safe and healthy.
"We now know that the single most important intervention for ensuring safe
motherhood is the presence of a skilled health care provider at every
delivery, wherever it takes place. Achieving this will be a challenge
because currently we do not have enough of the people with essential
midwifery skills in the places where women live and give birth. Thus there
is urgent need for training and retraining of these personnel. It is
essential to detect abnormal conditions in mothers and children to be able
to carry out emergency measures and know when referral is necessary.
Traditional birth attendants are no real permanent substitutes for skilled
attendants, although in some countries circumstances have forced a liaison
between the two, as an interim measure, recognizing the need for referral to
the trained professional." he said.
"The lifetime risk of maternal death is almost 40 times higher in poor
countries than in rich countries, and the horrible consequences of maternal
mortality and morbidity-young women dying of obstructed labor, ruptured
uterus, septicemia, eclampsia, or hemorrhage, also leave the consequences of
maternal deaths to societies and families," he added. "All women must have
access to life-saving care as a matter of urgency when such complications
arise. Rationing health care by trying to identify women most likely to
develop problems will not work," Dr. Alleyne said.
Dr. Alleyne pointed out that developing countries need to further strengthen
their vital registration and health information systems. Communities need to
be more involved in analyzing the causes of maternal deaths in any
particular setting and quality care must become the standard. "Indeed, we
are now aware that in the absence of true community involvement in both the
identification of the nature of the problem and the development and
implementation of programs to address it, progress will be slow," he said.
"I am also convinced that the increasing involvement of NGOs and women's
groups will accelerate progress."
Dr. Alleyne said that the barriers that prevent women from having access to
the quality health care they need have been identified. "Surprisingly,
these barriers turn out to be similar the world over. Distance is one such
barrier, but it is by no means the most serious. Equally important if not
more so are barriers such as cost of services (overt and hidden costs) and
the poor quality of the interactions between providers and women and their
families."
To improve the quality of perinatal and maternal care, "We need information,
health care systems that involve the community, functioning supervision and
referral systems, skilled attendants, and approaches that respect the
dignity of the woman," Dr. Alleyne said. "But safe motherhood is not the
responsibility of the health sector alone, "he added. "It is a societal
responsibility to ensure that girls and women are, from the earliest age,
valued as highly as boys and men for their contribution in the many spheres
of human endeavor. Gender discrimination even in its subtle forms can
militate against women in their whole life cycle but more importantly for
this forum, as they carry out their reproductive roles," he added.
A growing body of national authorities; national, international, and local
NGOs; and multilateral and bilateral cooperation agencies have come together
in the past decade to implement the strategies needed to address the
problem. On this World Health Day 1998, WHO is joined by an impressive array
of partners with the same goals and objectives in mind. World Health Day
1998 is being celebrated not just by national authorities and the World
Health Organization at the national, regional, and global levels, but also
by the World Bank, UNICEF, UNFPA, IPPF, and the Population Council and major
bilateral donors and key actors in the world of business, the NGO community,
and many parts of our growing civil society.
PAHO, which also serves as the Regional Office for the Americas, works with
all the countries of the Americas to improve their health and raise their
living standards. For more information please contact the Office of Public
Information, 525 Twenty-Third Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20037, USA
http:\\www.paho.org
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