HIF & HIPNET: Reproductive health, 5 Oct
2004
You
are invited to a joint videoconference meeting of the HEALTH INFORMATION FORUM (HIF, UK) and the HEALTH INFORMATION AND PUBLICATIONS NETWORK
(HIPNET, USA)
Topic: SHARING REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH KNOWLEDGE: The role of health care
information in promoting reproductive health
Where? Royal College of Physicians, London, UK (and simultaneously in
the USA - see below*) When?
Tuesday 5th October 2004, registration and refreshments at 2.15pm, meeting
starts at 3pm, ends 5pm (UK time)
BACKGROUND
1. Worldwide, more than 50 million women suffer from poor reproductive health
and serious pregnancy-related illness and disability. And every year more than
500,000 women die from complications of pregnancy and childbirth. Women in
Sub-Saharan Africa have a 1-in-16 lifetime risk of dying from maternal causes,
compared with women in Europe, who have a 1-in-2,000 risk, and in North
America, who have a 1-in-3,500 risk of dying. 2. 10 million children die each
year, of whom more than 20% die in the perinatal period 3. More than 40 million
adults and 5 million children are living with HIV/AIDS. 3 million die each
year. [Source 1-3: http://www.developmentgoals.org]
Midwives, nurses, primary health workers, traditional birth attendants, health
promoters and others involved in reproductive health care are central to reduce
mortality and morbidity worldwide. Their efforts are constrained by many
complex factors: lack of drugs and equipment, transport and health systems
infrastructure. But there is one relatively simple and neglected factor that
disables healthcare providers in low-resource settings: lack of access to
relevant healthcare information and knowledge. There is little if any evidence
that the majority of healthcare providers, especially those working in primary
healthcare, are any better informed today than they were 10 years ago.
OBJECTIVES
This meeting will provide a forum for discussion of the issues around access to
relevant healthcare information. It will be the first joint meeting of HIF and
HIPNET and will explore ways in which we might work together to improve access
to reproductive health information. The meeting will also contribute to the
Global Review on Access to Health Information in Developing Countries (see below**)
FORMAT
SPEAKERS
KEYNOTE: Nono Simelela, Director of Programmes, IPPF, UK
UK PANELLISTS
Lou Compernolle (Integrating Best Practice, WHO)
Meenakshi Gautham (London School of Hygiene and Tropical
Medicine)
Christine Kalume (Healthlink Worldwide)
Neil Pakenham-Walsh (INASP) Chair
US PANELLISTS
Vanessa Carroll (INFO Project)
Peggy D'Adamo (INFO Project)
Beth Robinson (Family Health International) Chair
15:00 Welcome: Neil
Pakenham-Walsh (Health Information Forum) and Beth Robinson (HIPNET)
Attendance at this meeting is free of charge thanks to sponsorship from the BMJ
and Exchange (http://www.healthcomms.org),
and the Royal College of Physicians, which has generously provided facilities.
We regret that we cannot provide assistance with travel and accommodation.
All are welcome. To reserve your place, please send your name and organization
to: [email protected] Places
will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
We look forward to seeing you on 5th October.
Dr Neil Pakenham-Walsh Senior Programme Manager, INASP-Health International
Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications PO Box 516, Oxford OX1
1WG, UK (Suite B, 58 St Aldates, Oxford OX1 1ST) Tel: +44 (0)1865 248124 Fax:
+44 (0)1865 251060 < [email protected]
> <www.inasp.info/health>
About HIF:
The Health Information Forum (HIF) is a series of thematic workshops on key
issues relating to access to health information in developing countries. HIF
was originally launched in 1998 to enhance cooperation and sharing of
experience among UK-based organizations. The workshops are organized by INASP
with help from a voluntary HIF Organizing Group. In 2000, HIF-net at WHO was
launched as a joint initiative with WHO, to provide an e-forum for global discussion
and debate on issues relating to health information, and as a means to keep
informed of new publications and services, and identify new contacts and
potential partners. HIF-net at WHO now engages more than 1500 people from over
130 countries worldwide, working together to improve access to health
information, .
About HIPNET: Health
Information and Publications Network (HIPNET) is a mission-driven partnership
that addresses a key public health need for access to technical health
information and innovative information technologies that strengthen the
performance and sustainability of health care programs, organizations, and
services around the world.
*The USA side of this meeting will take place at Advance Africa, Arlington VA,
USA at 10am-12pm local time. If you are in the USA on 5th October and would
like to participate, contact Peggy D'Adamo, HIPNET: [email protected]
**The Global Review on Access to Health Information in Developing Countries was
launched on 12 July 2004 with the technical and in-kind support of 20
organizations working in health information and knowledge exchange. Further
progress is dependent on funding to cover the costs of developing-country
inputs and overall coordination. For further details, see http://www.inasp.info/health/globalreview/index.html
