The Equity Tool for Valuing Global Health Partnerships.

Global health partnerships (GHPs) involve complex relationships between individuals and organizations, often joining partners from high-income and low- or middle-income countries around work that is carried out in the latter. Therefore, GHPs are situated in the context of global inequities and their underlying sociopolitical and historical causes, such as colonization. Equity is a core principle that should guide GHPs from start to end. How equity is embedded and nurtured throughout a partnership has remained a constant challenge. We have developed a user-friendly tool for valuing a GHP throughout its lifespan using an equity lens. The development of the EQT was informed by 5 distinct elements: a scoping review of scientific published peer-reviewed literature; an online survey and follow-up telephone interviews; workshops in Canada, Burkina Faso, and Vietnam; a critical interpretive synthesis; and a content validation exercise. Findings suggest GHPs generate experiences of equity or inequity yet provide little guidance on how to identify and respond to these experiences. The EQT can guide people involved in partnering to consider the equity implications of all their actions, from inception, through implementation and completion of a partnership. When used to guide reflective dialogue with a clear intention to advance equity in and through partnering, this tool offers a new approach to valuing global health partnerships. Global health practitioners, among others, can apply the EQT in their partnerships to learning together about how to cultivate equity in their unique contexts within what is becoming an increasingly diverse, vibrant, and responsive global health community.

[Training of human resources for universal health: strategic actions from academic institutions]. / Formación de recursos humanos para la salud universal: acciones estratégicas desde las instituciones académicas.

The challenge of moving towards the right to health for all -through the strategies for universal access to health and universal health coverage (universal health)- requires multiple conditions and actions. One of them is to have sufficient health workers, well distributed and with the skills and motivation needed for the transformation of health services and to provide comprehensive and quality responses to people and their communities. This article presents the results of a dialogue between academics from universities in the Americas, and reflects on four essential dimensions: planning, interprofessional training, social responsibility of academic centers, and the use of models of teaching-service-research. These dimensions are fundamental for a comprehensive training of health professionals that contributes to universal health coverage.

Formación de recursos humanos para la salud universal: acciones estratégicas desde las instituciones académicas

[RESUMEN]. El desafío de avanzar hacia la materialización del derecho a la salud para todos a través de la estrategia para el acceso y la cobertura universal de salud (salud universal) requiere de múltiples condiciones y acciones. Una de ellas es contar con trabajadores de la salud suficientes, bien distribuidos y con las competencias y motivación que hagan posible la transformación de los servicios de salud y proporcionen respuestas integrales y de calidad a las personas y sus comunidades. Este artículo, producto del diálogo de académicos de diversos centros universitarios de las Américas, reflexiona y enfatiza cuatro dimensiones esenciales: la planificación, la formación interprofesional, la misión o responsabilidad social de los centros formadores y el uso de modelos de docencia-servicio-investigación. Estas dimensiones deben ser atendidas para una formación integral de profesionales de salud que contribuyan a hacer factible la salud universal.

[ABSTRACT]. The challenge of moving towards the right to health for all —through the strategies for universal access to health and universal health coverage (universal health)— requires multiple conditions and actions. One of them is to have sufficient health workers, well distributed and with the skills and motivation needed for the transformation of health services and to provide comprehensive and quality responses to people and their communities. This article presents the results of a dialogue between academics from universities in the Americas, and reflects on four essential dimensions: planning, interprofessional training, social responsibility of academic centers, and the use of models of teaching-service-research. These dimensions are fundamental for a comprehensive training of health professionals that contributes to universal health coverage.

Health in South America 2008: Situation Overview Focused on Priority Aspects of the South American Health Agenda / Salud en las Américas, 2008

[Executive Summary]. This document presents an overview of the health situation in South America based on the latest available information. It considers the political, economic and social contexts and emphasizes social determinants and health system organization and performance, with special attention paid to human resources and medicines. The document seeks to offer basic information and a context for discussion, with a view to guiding the development of proposals and plans by specific technical groups of UNASUR Salud. The document has focused mainly on identified priorities in the South American Health Agenda, namely: development and consolidation of the epidemiological shield, development of universal health care systems, universal access to medicines, health promotion and actions on the social determinants of health, and the development and management of human resources in the health sector.