Nieuwsbrief

Newsletter December 2011

Dear colleagues and friends,

The end of the year is near, and as usual it is a busy time. The DCR knowledge network is beginning to take shape, and we are convinced that it will help us keep track of each others initiatives and ideas. It is important to be in touch, given that we have a continuum of experience from countries that are in different phases of the reconstruction of health systems. We need to apply lessons learned, for example in South Sudan, where many of the same mechanisms are now being put in place that have already been tested extensively in Afghanistan. We also need to widen our portfolio, and we are busy testing opportunities in new countries and extending in countries where we already are present. We have not succeeded yet in getting sizeable projects in Pakistan off the ground, but we will keep working on this. On top of this, we will be moving office in January in Amsterdam. In the new, more spacious office, we look forward to see colleagues from the field pass by! I wish you all happy holidays, and look forward to seeing you.

Best wishes,

Willem van de Put, general director

Newsletter September 2011

Dear colleagues and friends,

Last week the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases was on the agenda of the General Assembly High-level Meeting of the United Nations in New York. This meeting marked a very important point in our work, in different ways. Recent figures point out that the four main non communicable diseases (NCDs) - cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic lung diseases and diabetes – not only kill three in five people worldwide, but also that 80% of related deaths occur in the developing world – and this rate keeps growing. They are also responsible for socioeconomic stagnation that keeps endangering the world. It is necessary to focus on these new challenges – while at the same time nobody can afford to do this at the cost of attention for the ‘traditional’ communicable killers diseases: Tuberculosis, Malaria and HIV/Aids. Difficult as this shall be, there is another problem related to this. The fifth non-communicable disease that should have been addressed here is mental health. Unfortunately the international lobby for mental health, in which we play an active part, has not resulted in the inclusion of this important gap. That leaves us with a double challenge in the field of mental health: we shall continue to develop sustainable models for service delivery and we shall look for connections (important in terms of funding) with the other NCD’s. And at the same time, we need to scale up our advocacy activities to help keep mental health on the agenda.

Best wishes,

Willem van de Put, general director

Newsletter June 2011

Dear colleagues and friends,

The word crisis is heard everywhere, and budget cuts for international collaboration are almost a non-issue amidst outcries over cuts in health, social security and education budgets in the high-income countries. This raises the stakes: what shall we do to convince policy makers that building and maintaining effective health services in Afghanistan and Sudan cannot be done for $5 per capita per year (set as ceiling by institutional donors)? This is the environment in which we try to establish some local ownership of health services. The fact that the health insurance scheme in Cambodia is continuing to grow is very good news – and even more impressive when seen against this background. In South Sudan we are dealing with the problematic side of growth – but the programmes are getting on track. In Afghanistan a series of new project proposals is delivered on the request of the donors. And in Holland, we keep building up networks for support. I hope you will find the issues in this newsletter of interest!

Best wishes,

Willem van de Put, general director

Newsletter March 2011

Dear colleagues and friends,

Japan and Libya are in the spotlights. Natural and man-made disaster seems closer than ever. The nuclear threat overshadows the fact that people in prosperous Japan were better protected against the violence of the tsunami than the fishermen in Sri Lanka in 2005. Organization, information and solidarity are the conditions for a response to both waves and radiation. These are also necessary conditions for protection against the rage of a dictator. In the HealthNet TPO projects we make an attempt to provide these elements. The present newsletter shares some examples of this. I hope you are all doing well and that you stay safe in your admirable efforts.

Best wishes,
Willem van de Put, general director

Newsletter December 2010

Dear colleagues and friends,

Towards the end of this year it gives me pleasure to introduce to you our newsletter, the second in its new format. We appreciate the positive reactions we received on this new way of keeping you updated on latest developments. In this edition you will find the latest news on our psychosocial work with Afghan women, the start of the first health insurance scheme for the poor in Cambodia, growing pains in Sudan, workshops in Burundi, refugee care in the Netherlands, and decisions on international collaboration of the new government of the Netherlands. We look forward to your comments!

Best wishes,
Willem van de Put

Newsletter September 2010

What you find here is the first edition of what will be a quarterly digital newsletter. It highlights the developments within HealthNet TPO and the effects of external events on the HealthNet TPO agenda. Suggestions and/or contributions to this newsletter can be sent to info@healthnettpo.org