Giving birth amid a pandemic in Belgium: the challenges faced by mothers and midwives

  Many voices have arisen as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds to draw attention on the numerous hidden repercussions of the crisis. The magnitude of those consequences will probably be clear only in the aftermath of the pandemic. But one thing is certain: both patients and healthcare workers have been deeply impacted. Since April 22, with […]

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“Using my Voice” to Decolonize Global Health

  Last week I watched the Decolonize Global Health online conference at the University of Edinburgh , where Madhukar Pai, Director of Global Health at McGill University, said that the bright spot he sees in all this is the youth can see through the BS. And by BS, he means the “colonialism” in global health […]

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Elder Care during COVID-19 : Reflections from Shanghai

  On January 23, 2020, Wuhan, a Chinese city with over 10 million people, was locked down due to COVID-19. Subsequently, all cities in China instituted the highest level emergency response. The response mandated home isolation, reduced unessential hospital visits, restricted social activities, and the use of personal protection equipment (e.g., face masks) outdoors. We […]

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Domestic health financing for Covid-19 response in Africa

This blog is a part of #COVID19Africa Series The outbreak of Covid-19 imposes additional financing requirements to prevent, detect and respond in a timely and effective manner. Underfunding of health is a persistent problem in African countries, resulting in weak health systems and gaps in service delivery. Required funding to promote universal access to primary […]

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COVID-19: Reimagining the political economy of planetary health

  The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic gives the new field of planetary health a unique chance to prove itself. Since the Rockefeller Foundation-Lancet Commission report’s release in 2015 (1), planetary health has been met by a mixture of both excitement and skepticism. Young scholars from diverse disciplines are energized by the idea of transdisciplinary collaboration for […]

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More Than a Word: Neo-Colonialism in Today’s Vocabulary.

  Everyone has once been found guilty for using these words. Developing countries, third world countries, poor countries, and more. Terminology so embedded in academia and international affairs, yet so full of stigma. Systemic violence is apparent throughout global health and often expresses itself in the way we express global health. Language defines how we, […]

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Towards a more inclusive model of health technology assessment

  The buzz-word of evidence informed decision making is all pervasive in the health policy and systems space. However, it is easier said than done. To facilitate evidence informed decision making, the Government of India established a formal institutional structure known as Health Technology Assessment in India (HTAIn) under Department of Health Research (DHR) in […]

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Public Health Law in times of COVID-19 : perspective from India

  About two months after the WHO declared COVID-19 as a pandemic, India dived into a 21 day lockdown. For the general public, daily life came to a halt ; but for our health care workers, it was time to suit up for the battle. With the responsibility of the health of 1.3 billion Indians […]

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The forgotten first line: response to COVID-19 in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo

This blog is a part of #COVID19Africa Series. Click for French version The first line of care, the front line, is the patients’ first point of contact, the coordinator of care, the interface between the community and the health system, and is responsible for the health of a specific population. In much of sub-Sahara Africa and […]

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