Montreal World Health Organization Simulation

Global Health Fair

Sebastien Forte — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 21:42:58 +0000

The winner Global Health Fair Award this year will be determined by the delegates.

SABC broadcast #2

fahim — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 18:44:22 +0000

MONWHO Conference Kicks Off as Turmoil in Africa and Middle East Heats Up

fahim — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 17:55:41 +0000

CNN: “As riots, political instability, violence and social unrest continue in Africa and the Middle East, the World Health Organization holds a conference to discuss a theme of the a most peaceful and docile nature: maternal and child health.”

Abortion, STI and AIDs prevention, pregnancy health, contraception, infant and maternal mortality – these are the issues that are on the minds of the Delegations of the MONWHO conference, set to commence this coming Friday afternoon in Montreal. Its primary objective will be to discuss and assess the progress towards the Millennium goals concerning maternal and child health set in 2000 and 2006. However, how will the recent political turmoil in Africa and the Middle East affect the outcome of this conference?

This conference could be a ground-breaking event in establishing new policies to prevent maternal deaths and improve child health, seeing the resources and capabilities of the WHO as one of the leading organizations in aiding countries and forming a forum of discussion where all countries get to voice their concerns and opinions. With the recent political instability of the Middle East and Africa, countries will have to overcome their differences and set aside the important political issues at hand to work together to come up with solutions leading up to the achievement of MDG5.

The most important question here is: Will they be able to overcome the current political turmoil and address the real issues at hand? Most of the countries experiencing severe unrest (Libya, Egypt, Bahrain, Tunisia, and Iran) according to 2008 statistics on maternal and child health, are not the worst off in maternal health amongst their fellow developing countries. The very fact that these regimes are distracted might leave room for countries severely suffering from maternal and child health deficiencies to voice their opinions, and for these to be better heard by countries able to provide help and funding. We could be looking at policies that will heavily favor countries such as Somalia, Chad and Afghanistan. Political turmoil could also unfortunately turn developed countries funding away, from fear that instability might spread.

Another important question to ask would be who will emerge the leaders of this conference? States with strong track records with the WHO such as the United States, Brazil, India and Italy are expected to take the lead in negotiations. There is also substantial grounds for optimism: maternal health is steadily increasing in developing nations and developed countries and the WHO seem willing to fund operations to improve health care. The impact of the global financial crisis and current political instability on the decisions made remains to be seen.

CNN broadcast #2

fahim — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 17:30:06 +0000

The MonWHO Conference heralds a bright future for mothers

fahim — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:07:54 +0000

Comprehensive and integrated actions are required to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and the world-wide health agenda, particularly among the most vulnerable population groups such as a large majority of women in many areas of the world, as well as children, adolescents, young adults and the elderly. Inequities in health services coverage and quality, as well as their accessibility to rural and periurban dwellers, indigenous and afro-descendant peoples, those living in poverty, sexual minorities and other socially excluded persons, are some of the issues which are especially important to address. Among these, the health and well-being of mothers and children are perhaps the most important social issues to tackle because healthy mothers bringing forth healthy children constitute the best foundation for healthy communities, families, and societies.

According to the Pan American Health Organization’s Basic Data publication of 2010, approximately 9,500 maternal deaths occur in Latin America and the Caribbean each year, representing a mean Maternal Mortality Ratio of 88.9 per 100,000 live births. The vast majority of maternal deaths results from preventable causes such as hemorrhage, pregnancy-induced hypertension, unsafe abortion-related complications, sepsis, and obstructed and prolonged labor in countries with low institutional deliveries. Essential obstetric and neonatal services are either not available or of poor quality because of a lack of skilled personnel in many Latin American and Caribbean countries, especially in remote areas. Even when these resources are available, they are often under-utilized because of economic, cultural, or physical barriers. Furthermore, age plays a major role in maternal mortality. Older women and adolescent girls are most at risk. Between 10-30% of maternal mortality occurs in young women. The risk of death is four times higher among adolescents under the age of 16 and women over the age of 45. Additionally, notable urban-rural and social class disparities affect maternal and infant mortality. Only 46% of rural pregnant women attend four or more antenatal consultations compared with 74% of women living in urban areas. The rural and urban poor, as well as other marginalized communities and indigenous and afro-descendent populations experience disproportionately high maternal and neonatal mortality.

Maternal, infant and child health are all intrinsically linked. A recent Lancet study found that neonatal deaths represent 41% of deaths in children under 5 years old throughout the world. Neonatal mortality is estimated at 14 per 1,000 live births. The leading causes of neonatal death in Latin America and the Caribbean include infections (32%), asphyxia (29%), prematurity (24%), and congenital malformations (10%). Low birth weight, nutrition, and socioeconomic factors play critical roles as well. Other contributing factors include low political visibility and deficient newborn health policies.

There is a great need to renew our commitment to achieving Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5—the prevention and reduction of maternal, infant, and child mortality and morbidity—worldwide by creating an effective continuum of care and by strengthening health systems. However, we must bear in mind that any and all programs and initiatives created with this end in mind should also find a way to contribute to reducing socioeconomic gaps – the main determinants of health. Furthermore, special emphasis should be placed on reaching out to traditionally socially excluded members of society, such as indigenous and afro-descendant groups, and refugees.

Simply put, from a medical perspective we must strive to strengthen maternal and child health services. This should include a sustained focus on implementing both a sound health strategy and an effective public health advocacy to seek political support and ensure the inclusion of health in all political agendas. Secondly, we must strive to create projects and initiatives which provide equitable access to quality services for pregnant women, mothers, infants, and children. We must pay particularly close attention to providing lasting care in prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal stages. Additionally, we must work to strengthen our health systems by providing data necessary to accurately monitor progress and adopt suitable strategies at the community, regional, and national levels, paying close attention to creating cost-effective public health interventions which focus on health promotion, education and disease prevention. Finally, our stewardship must be improved to create an effective legal and policy environment which can be used to remove obstacles to adequate health care, especially among poor and disadvantaged groups.

The Montreal World Health Organization Simulation’s efforts to bring the issue of maternal and child health into focus should be highly commended. As future leaders in health care, the medical students of Canada will be placed at the forefront of a myriad of complex health issues, none more important than the issue of maternal and child health. Armed with the knowledge that prior generations have accrued, it is vital that these future health providers, leaders and problem-solvers endeavor to build upon this foundation and help create a world in which mothers and their children will not have to struggle to find the health care and quality of life that they urgently need and richly and rightfully deserve.

Gina Tambini, MD, MPH

Manager, Family and Community Health

Pan American Health Organization

Regional Office for the Americas of the

World Health Organization

Canadian Foreign Aid policy creates controversy

fahim — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:04:31 +0000

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s support of maternal and child health in the developing world has not been without controversy. Prior to establishing an initiative to reduce maternal and child mortality at the G8 summit in 2010, his Conservative government received significant criticism from both domestic critics and international groups over its lack of commitment to funding contraception and safe abortion services. It was only after several months of ambiguity that Harper explicitly indicated that his government would consider Canadian funding for family planning programmes, but not abortion services.

Domestically, local critics have accused the Harper government of imposing a socially conservative ideology onto the developing world. Furthermore, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the end of a G8 meeting in March 2010 commented, “You cannot have maternal health without reproductive health, and that includes contraception and family planning and access to legal, safe abortions.” While she said she was not making any specific comments regarding Canadian policy, this was seen as a sharp rebuke by many critics to Harper’s policy.

Controversy over providing foreign aid for reproductive rights is not new in the Western hemisphere. The United States adopted a so-called Mexico City Policy (also known as the Global Gag Rule) under the Reagan administration in the 1980s forbidding U.S. aid to groups providing or even discussing abortion services, even when external funding was used for these services. This was eventually overturned by President Bill Clinton in 1993, before being reinstated by President George W. Bush in 2001. As the U.S. is a leading donor to family planning programmes, this rule has been estimated to cost family planning organizations millions of dollars in aid. President Barack Obama reversed the Mexico City Policy in 2009. While abortion is legal both in Canada and the US for several decades, it remains a contentious issue in both countries. The controversy in North America over funding family planning abroad, particularly in regards to abortion services, reflects the considerable force of social conservative attitudes.

Reproductive health is a critical component of maternal health and a woman’s right to health. Restrictions in reproductive rights have important consequences. Reducing the number of unintended pregnancies may prevent as much as 32% of all maternal deaths. Complications from unsafe abortions contribute up to 9% of all maternal deaths. Pragmatically, supporting reproductive rights would have important consequences to achieving MDG 4 and 5. However, it is clear that cultural and social values have a significant influence on international health policy.

References

Baker, Peter. “Obama Reverses Rules on U.S. Abortion Aid.” The New York Times, January 23, 2009.
Accessed February 15, 2011.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/24/us/politics/24obama.html

Nasaw, Daniel. “Obama reverses ‘global gag rule’ on family planning organisations.” The Guardian, January 23, 2009.
Accessed February 15, 2011.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/23/barack-obama-foreign-abortion-aid

The Canadian Press. “Opposition wants birth control included in G8 initiative.” CTV News, March 17, 2010.
Accessed February 15, 2011.

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/QPeriod/20100317/maternal_health_100317/

CBC News. “Contraception ‘option’ in maternal health plan.” CBC News, March 18 2010. Accessed February 15, 2011.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2010/03/18/birth-control-maternal-health.html

CBC News. “Clinton backs contraception for maternal health.” CBC News, March 31 2010.
Accessed February 15, 2011.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2010/03/30/clinton-contraception.html

Taber, Jane. “PM defends excluding abortion from G8 plan.” The Globe and Mail, April 27, 2010.
Accessed February 15, 2011.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/pm-defends-excluding-abortion-from-g8-plan/article1548748/

Clark, Campell. “Canada’s abortion stance worries world aid groups.” The Globe and Mail, April 27, 2010.
Accessed February 15, 2011.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/g8-g20/maternal/canadas-abortion-stance-worries-world-aid-groups/article1549062/

The Canadian Press. “Maternal health focus of Harper’s Geneva trip.” CBC News, Jan 23 2011. Accessed February 15, 2011.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2011/01/23/harper-maternal-health.html

Workshop Details

Thomas Funck — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:06:04 +0000

Workshops

Workshop #1: McGill Debating Union

Does international aid solve health issues in the developing world?

Speakers:

To be announced

Workshop #2: Centre for International Studies and Cooperation:

The importance of sociopolitical influences on maternal health, and the relevance to societal development

The Center for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI) is a Canadian development, international cooperation and humanitarian assistance non-governmental organization. It has been fighting poverty and exclusion of marginalized populations in Africa, Asia and the Americas for over 50 years. To do this, CECI promotes a decentralized ans participatory approach.

In its mission and values statement, CECI places the principle of equity in human relations at the centre of its vision and its action. The organization has several years of recognized expertise in gender-specific project management, including maternal and child health related issues.

CECI was the recipient of the Bill McWhinney Award of Excellence in International Development for its project “An Aguayo for Risk-Free Childbirth” in Bolivia’s Oruro Department. This project was started in 2006 in the small Andean municipality of Curahuara de Carangas. Its goal was to improve health care for pregnant women and to fight the inordinately high infant-mortality rate. In this particular project, CECI considers the complementary nature of the traditional medicine to work in tandem with modern Western medical techniques to be a key element and, therefore, a priority in the medical assistance being provided. The women’s participation has increased enormously when healthcare professionals work alongside with traditional practitioners. They gradually develop independence and judgment about the healthcare they would like to receive and provide to their newborns. This project was supported by Canadian volunteers through the Uniterra cooperation program.

Speakers:
Gaby Breton, Projects Officer, Center for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI)
Miriam Rouleau-Perez, Returned Volunteer from Bolivia, Uniterra (A WUSC & CECI Program)

Audrey Cadillon, Communication and Public Engagement Advisor, CECI

Workshop #3: Sexperts McGill

Sexual education in Quebec

Sexperts was first established in 2005 by a group of McGill students in the health sciences as a sexual education program, in response to the abolition of sexual education classes in Québec. In light of the high rates of risky sexual behaviour and the transmission of sexually transmitted infections and blood-borne infections (STI and BBI) among adolescents, this group has been committed to fostering a responsible approach amongst teenagers to their sexual health. Through an innovative approach, Sexperts relies on interactive presentations to establish dialogue with its student audience. This initiative has since been affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations and has expanded to intervention projects at the Université de Montréal, Université Laval, and Université de Sherbrooke. Over the course of the last year, Sexperts has reached over 3000 high school students in Montréal, Québec, Trois-Rivières, and Sherbrooke.

Speaker: Laurence Bernard, Sexperts McGill

SABC Broadcast #1

fahim — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 04:18:08 +0000

Breaking News Updates – #2

Thomas Funck — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 05:00:50 +0000

CCTV broadcast #1

fahim — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 17:20:12 +0000