Newsletter of the Public Health Association of South Africa Issue 11 2 0 0 8 This issue of the PHASA newsletter advertises the forthcoming 4th Public Health Association of South Africa (PHASA) Conference in Cape Town in early June, and the workshops that precede it; and draws attention to a 2-week WHO course Promoting Rational Medicines Use in the Community, during the University of Western Cape’s School of Public Health Winter School in July 2008. We look at three audit reports highlighting the high death rates amongst mothers, babies and children each year in South Africa. We publish the Declaration of the National Consultative Health Forum on Primary Health Care, at the Birchwood Conference Centre, Gauteng, April 2008; we note the recognition of the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) as a Group on Earth Observations (GEO); we promote the remarkable book by Professor William Pick, which recalls his personal history in the midst of extraordinary transformations in South Africa; we publish an obituary from the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) on Dr. Ivan Toms and we draw attention to the long-awaited report on burns, now available from the World Health Organisation. p. 2 p. 8 The 4th Public Health Association of South Africa (PHASA) Declaration of the National Consultative Health Forum on Conference will be held from 2-4 June 2008 at the Southern Primary Health Care, at the Birchwood conference centre, Sun Cape Sun, Cape Town, South Africa, preceded by seven Gauteng Province, April 2008, . workshops.The theme of the conference, in keeping with the 30th anniversary of the Alma Ata Declaration, will be: ‘Making p.8 Alma Ata principles a 21st century reality: What will it take?’ The At the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) theme will enable critical review of the progress that Southern symposium in Brazil in September, the World Federation of Africa has made in terms of providing health care for all. Public Health Associations (WFPHA) applied for membership of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) and contributed to the p.3 session of public health. The University of Western Cape is hosting a 2-week WHO p.9 course Promoting Rational Medicines Use in the Community At the November 2007 GEO-IV Plenary session in Cape Town, during the School of Public Health Winter School in July 2008. the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) received notification that it had been recognised as a participating pp.4-5 organisation in the Group on Earth Observations (GEO). Three South African health reports - Saving Mothers, Saving p.9 Babies and Saving Children - provide data on thousands of deaths Professor William Pick has written a remarkable book - The annually, and make recommendations to strengthen the quality Slave has Overcome - recalling his personal history in the midst of care provided to mothers, babies and children at the time when of extraordinary transformations, and from the perspective of an they most need it. In Every Death Counts, the authors of these internationally recognised leader in the field of public health. three audit reports present a set of unified recommendations with specific actions for government officials, policy makers, health p.10 managers and healthcare providers to save lives. We publish an obituary from the Treatment Action Campaign pp. 6-7 (TAC) on Dr. Ivan Toms – Peoples’ Doctor, Apartheid War Resister, Gay Activist, Public Health Official and PLWHA Friend. Letter from the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA), concerning the situation in Zimbabwe and its effect on the health of citizens, as well as the ability of health p.10 and humanitarian aid workers to provide care and assistance The long-awaited report on burns is now available from the to those in need. World Health Organisation. This document is a road map for international activities in burn prevention for the next five years. Newsletter sponsored by 4th PHASA Conference 2008 The 4th Public Health Association of South Africa (PHASA) Conference will be held from 2-4 June 2008 at the Southern Sun Cape Sun, Cape Town, South Africa 2008 Conference The 2008 Conference marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Conference dates: 2-4 June WHO/UNICEF Conference on Primary Health Care held in Workshops: 2 June 2008 Alma Ata, USSR (now Kazakhstan). Primary Health Care Conference: 3 & 4 June 2008 (PHC) remains the strategy of WHO for achieving Health for All and is the philosophy informing South Africa’s health Keynote speaker: Dr Sundararaman from India policies. There is currently renewed interest globally in PHC Southern Sun Cape Sun, Cape Conference Venue: and the potential of this approach to address continuing Town, South Africa health and health care challenges, not least in addressing Website: http://phasa2008.mrc.ac.za the major problems of HIV, TB and malaria. PHASA is dedicating its 2008 Conference to PHC in recognition of the above and in the hope that research presented and ensuing As is evident from the chosen tracks we hope to generate discussions will assist in defining more precisely the role a lively discussion around the opportunities and challenges of Public Health in developing PHC to implement South facing health in the 21st century. In this regard, HIV/AIDS Africa’s bold health policies. and TB strategies will feature in various tracks of the Conference goals: conference. Prominence will also be given to discussions about the public health benefits of improving access to As an African public health association, PHASA the basic determinants of health such as water, sanitation is committed to strengthening local and regional capacity and food. The conference will open and close with an in public health skills internationally recognised plenary speaker. intends to use the conference both as a regional networking exercise and as a formal skills-building exercise. Workshops: Conference theme: Seven exciting workshops will be held on 2 June 2008, the details of which are as follows. The theme of the conference, in keeping with the 30th 1. Your Life or your Liberty. When is it legitimate to limit anniversary of the Alma Ata Declaration, will be: “Making Human Rights for the Public good? Alma Ata principles a 21st century reality: What will it take?” 2. Significant differences or Significant others? Reconciling The theme will enable critical review of the progress that Qualitative and Quanitative research traditions in Public Southern Africa has made in terms of providing health care Health. for all. 3. Lies, damn lies and statistics? Epidemiology for journalists. The three conference tracks will be: 4. “If you don’t like the news go out and make some of your 1. Evidence for action and evidence of action, epidemiology, own”. Media advocacy and Public Health. health informatics, qualitative research and policy 5. HIV, Sexual and Reproductive Health: Understanding choices, and claiming rights 2. Health in context, which looks at issues around 6. Getting the evidence right. Practicing evidence-based environments, communities and households. Public Health 3. Necessity and invention, novel approaches and successes 7. Task-shifting: second-rate care or opportunity for health in primary health care. systems? Guest Speaker: Dr T Sundararaman Dr Sundararaman is Executive Director of the National state (population : 20 million people). Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC) in New Delhi. The Mitanin programme has resulted in an infant mortality Funded by the government of India, the centre provides rate decline, with little change in the utilisation of hospital technical assistance to the Ministry of Health and Family based services; household and community-level health Welfare to support the rural health sector reform process. care practices, however, changed dramatically. An Trained as a physician at the Jawaharlal Insititute of important change has been observed in the huge increase Postgraduate Medical Education and Research in in the percent of mothers initiating breastfeeding in the Pondicherry, Dr Sundararaman is an active public health first 24 hours after birth. ORS use and health-seeking practitioner, committed to improving the health of the behaviour for Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI) have also poor. He is also a founder member of the People’s Health improved. Movement in India, the Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry The improvements are due to the work of Mitanins as well science forums, the All India People’s Science Network and as improvements of all outreach services as a consequence the Public Health Resource Network that provides resource of large scale social mobilisation and strengthening of support and builds capacities of public health practitioners. the health sector. Most importantly, it has brought back Dr Sundararaman headed the programme design and credibility to the role of community participation in health programme implementation of the Mitanin programme, sector reform and has given the whole health sector reform India’s largest ongoing community health worker programme process a renewed confidence and dynamism as well as with an outreach to all 58,000 habitations of Chhattisgarh public visibility and grassroots support. 2 Promoting Rational Medicines Use in the Community The University of Western Cape is hosting a 2-week WHO course Promoting Rational Medicines Use in the Community during the School of Public Health Winter School in July 2008. PRMUC 2008 (UvA), Andrew Chetley (Healthlink), Ane Haaland (University The World Health Organization (WHO), School