Learning from success stories and promising failures
The networks Emerging Voices for Global Health, Health Systems Global Africa Regional Network and Be-cause health are launching a Call for Crowdsourcing.
Deadline 30 November 2023
This is a call for pitches of short stories of success or promising failure in global health, to be disseminated at the European Union event on Health Systems Strengthening on April 23, 2024 [1].
Context
Health systems and focused health programmes strive to improve the health and well-being of populations. For this they aim to improve the basic health of populations, including better maternal and child health, to serve the needs of populations facing the double burden of infectious and non-communicable, chronic health conditions. They aim to reduce inequities in health, promote universal access to health, quality healthcare and health products, but stand under pressure.
Within the current context of uncertainty and poly-crisis the current global health discourse and practice is shaped by several areas of tension. Some of these have been going on for years (however they do stay truly relevant), others are relatively new. We list some of them here, but this list is by no means exhaustive:
- Horizontal health programmes (focus on primary health care / health systems strengthening) – Vertical health programmes
- Short term / closed predefined modalities of funding – Long term / open and participative modalities of funding
- The climate and humanitarian crises and its escalations and post-growth economic thinking – Development (including health systems strengthening) based on more classical economic thinking
- Health security – A holistic ‘right to health’ approach
- Role and position of the healthcare workforce
- Coloniality – Decolonized global health (including the role of philanthro-capitalism and geopolitical considerations)
- Social movements towards Health for All – Multi-stakeholder public private partnerships
- Indigenous people knowledge and practices – Western practice of medical care
- Any other related topic
Today, some 45 years after the WHO Alma Ata Declaration on Health for All, and 20+ years after the Health Care for All declaration, the network Emerging Voices for Global Health, the Health Systems Global Africa Regional Network, and Be-cause health would like to know how you are coping in your context.
Call for short stories of success or promising failure
We invite researchers, health workers, health practitioners, policy makers, health activists, members of grassroot organisations, etc. to submit a pitch for presentation and/or publication (format to be decided) of short stories of success or promising failure in global health to be disseminated at the European Union event on Health Systems Strengthening on April 23, 2024.
We aim to draw upon the learnings and conclusions of the publication, and the feedback received during their presentation, to draft a dynamic Health for All declaration. The declaration should be internationally supported as widely as possible by academic and civil actors, policy makers and governments.
Submission of your pitch
- We invite you to pitch successful interventions, and/or brilliant failures on health systems strengthening. The pitch may focus on efforts to strengthen health systems and programmes to improve healthcare. Please select one or several areas of tension in global health, and describe what works best (effective and/or promising) in your context. Do not hesitate to suggest any other area of tension.
- Submissions should highlight what worked, and what lessons may be relevant to support ongoing and future efforts to achieve the right to health for all.
- Pitch length: maximum 300 words / max. 5 minutes audio / max. 5 minutes video format / max. 5 minutes any other format
- Deadline for submission: 30 November 2023
Selection and follow-up
- Selection: A committee of representatives of the inviting networks will select the pitches suited for presentation and/or publication. Presentations of the success story / promising failure (article / podcast / video / any other format) will be published and/or presented at the European Union event on Health Systems Strengthening in April 2024.
- Presentation length: max. 5000 words / max. 15 minutes podcast / max. 15 minutes video format / max. 15 minutes any other format
- Deadline for selection: 31 January 2024
- Deadline for completion of presentation (for selected pitches): 1 March 2024
- Selected submissions will be:
- Invited to be presented at the Health Systems Strengthening EU event on April 23, 2024, during the Belgian presidency of the EU.
- Included in a publication (format to be decided).
- Learnings will contribute to a dynamic declaration on Health for All.
For more information on the call, you can follow a webinar on Monday 6 November from 2 – 3 pm (CET, Belgian time), for which you can register here or you can reach out to Magalie via mschotte@itg.be.
[1] The EU event is part of a series of activities on health justice linked to the Belgian presidency of the European Union in 2024.
