Posted by internationalh on July 2, 2006
Owen has some thoughts on the global fight against malaria. “Here, here!”
There is an interesting question here about incentives within the aid agencies. Our incentives are to make our reputation by developing new ideas, introducing new programs or leading change. There is a much smaller incentive to adopt a good idea that has been proven to work and to take it to scale. Because we have few effective measures of output of individual activities, we have no incentive to be completer-finishers. As a result, we are constantly analyzing and criticizing, having conferences and evaluating. We spend huge sums on very expensive ex-patriate technical assistance – part of that Amir Attaran calls “the foreign aid industrial complex”. Of course it is always important to evaluate progress, and to try to do better with the resources we have got, but sometimes we should just get on and do what we know is effective.
Click here for the post: Global Health Policy
Posted in Infectious Diseases, Working in the field | Leave a Comment »
Posted by internationalh on July 2, 2006
Sepia Mutiny’s Neha is yelping with joy over some good news.
Armed with a budget of about $200 million U.S., availiability of free ARV drugs is going to expand from 52 clinics supplying 35, 000 people to a whole 100 clinics
Click here to read more: Sepia Mutiny
Posted in Health Systems, Infectious Diseases | Leave a Comment »
Posted by internationalh on June 24, 2006
Robert Weissman pens an interesting account of the failures and triumps of our fight against the meddling virus.
There has been amazing progress in addressing global AIDS over the past five years. Activist pressure and generic competition has driven the price of AIDS drugs down by more than 98 percent, making it possible for donors to invest money in treatment to keep people alive. An HIV-positive diagnosis is no longer an automatic death sentence.
Check it out here: The Huffington Post
Posted in Health Systems, Infectious Diseases | 1 Comment »
