By Dr. Namwinga Chintu, Africa Partnership Director, WomenLift Health This Zero Discrimination Day, I encourage you to use your voice to advocate for the improvement of poor health outcomes that have been perpetuated by gender and other types of discrimination, especially in low-and-middle-income countries, to make health for all a…

By Dr. Githinji Gitahi, Group CEO Amref Health Africa Over the past decade Africa has made tremendous gains in increasing access to immunization directly through domestic resources and multi-laterally through the Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI). This laudable progress has brought the continent closer to ending several diseases such as neonatal…

By Mandeep Dhaliwal, Director of HIV, Health and Development, UNDP; Ludo Bok, Manager, SDGs and UNAIDS, HIV, Health and Development Group, UNDP — This has been a historic year for scientific innovation, but even the most advanced science only realises its full potential if it can be delivered to those in need — a dynamic we are watching play out not only with COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines, but also with innovations for…

By Mandeep Dhaliwal, Director of HIV, Health and Development, UNDP; Ludo Bok, Manager, SDGs and UNAIDS, HIV, Health & Development Group UNDP — As new coronavirus cases are confirmed each day, fear and misinformation continue to spread more rapidly than COVID-19 itself. False or misleading claims in the media, buoyed by harmful stereotypes, have fueled discrimination and violence that revive painful histories of attributing disease outbreaks to marginalized groups. …

By Dr. Githinji Gitahi, Group CEO, Amref Health Africa — We all aspire to live in a world where every individual has access to the highest attainable standard of health without distinction of any kind; a world in which we all enjoy the fundamental right to make decisions about our bodies without facing any kind of opposition or barriers. Universal…

By Remco van de Pas, Vice-President, Medicus Mundi International — Network Health for All! — There was once a dream. A dream that led to the establishment of the United Nations (UN) in 1946 whereby an idealistic view of international cooperation was regarded as a key mechanism to prevent war and free humanity from widespread misery. Chapter I of the UN charter clarifies that the…

By Tariah Adams, Communications & Advocacy Officer, White Ribbon Alliance Nigeria — As part of a town hall meeting in Lapai Local Government Area of Niger State, Nigeria last year, Zainab told a crowd of community members that she does not use the local primary health care centre because it was just too expensive. Zainab is not alone. In a country where…

By Vicky T. Okine Executive Director, Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights — Introduction The Alma Ata Declaration on Primary Health Care (PHC) in 1978 reiterated a very central component of health; the importance of community involvement and participation in health decision-making processes in order to achieve a “people-centred” health system that is robust, effective and sustainable and at the same time provides…

By Maziko Matemba, Director, Health and Rights Education Programme (HREP) — A healthy living will always be of utmost priority to every individual despite society marginalization and differences. From one age group to the other, from one tribal race to the next, regardless of disability and other experiences, lies a distinct commonality among us all and that is our health and…